SIN Number Canada 2026: 9-Series Expiry, Documents, How to Apply

SIN Number Canada 2026: 9-Series Expiry, Documents, How to Apply

As of August 31, 2026.

A Social Insurance Number (SIN) is the 9-digit identifier you need to work in Canada, get paid, file tax, and access federal programs. Service Canada issues it for free. Temporary residents get a number that starts with 9 and expires with the permit. Citizens and permanent residents get a number that does not expire. Plastic cards are gone. You get a Confirmation of SIN letter instead.

TL;DR

A SIN is a 9-digit number. Temporary-resident numbers start with 9 and expire with the work permit, study permit, or visitor record | You need one primary document that proves status and one secondary document that confirms identity | Online applications take about 5 business days. Mail takes about 20 | You can start work as soon as you apply. You do not wait for the number to arrive | Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) emails are not accepted as permit proof

What is a Social Insurance Number in Canada?

Short answer: A Social Insurance Number is a 9-digit number that Service Canada issues so you can work legally, get paid, pay tax, file a return, and use federal programs such as Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan. The number is confidential. It is illegal for anyone else to use it. You are responsible for protecting it. It is not photo identification. There is no fee to apply, to confirm an existing number, or to update a record. Service Canada no longer issues plastic cards. Older plastic cards can still be used. If yours is lost or damaged, you request a Confirmation of SIN and you receive a letter in paper or digital format.

Full program rules sit on the Government of Canada Social Insurance Number page, last updated 3 July 2026. View or print a number you already have through My Service Canada Account.

Who needs a SIN, and when should you apply?

Short answer: You need a SIN if you are legally authorized to work in Canada and you will be working, if you need proof or confirmation of an existing number, if you receive a new permit with a new expiry date, if your immigration status changes, if your legal name changes, or if you are correcting an error on the record. Canadian citizens and permanent residents also apply for a first-time number, for a child's confirmation, or to register a newborn in a territory. Anyone 12 or older can apply for their own SIN. A parent or legal guardian applies for a child under the age of majority in that province or territory.

Apply as soon as you have the documents. Temporary residents use the SIN for temporary residents path, last updated 2 June 2026. Citizens and permanent residents start from the same Apply for a SIN page. You must apply even if you already have a number when you need to extend a 9-series expiry, confirm a number, or update the record.

If you are visiting with no work authorization and you are not claiming federal benefits, you do not need one.

What does a SIN that starts with 9 mean?

Short answer: SINs issued to temporary residents always start with 9. That number expires on the same date as the work permit, study permit, or visitor record that supported it. Keep the SIN record in step with the current permit. A citizen or permanent resident SIN is permanent and does not expire. When your status changes from temporary resident to permanent resident, you apply again so Service Canada can issue a permanent number. Destroy the old SIN document after the record is updated. It is no longer valid.

That 9-series expiry is the payroll trap. Many systems flag the date and stop pay even when you are still allowed to work. The temporary residents page is the source for the expiry rule.

What documents do you need to apply?

Short answer: You need one primary identity document that proves your legal status in Canada and one secondary identity document that confirms who you are. If your current name does not match the name on those documents, you also need a supporting document for each name change. Documents that are not in English or French need the original plus a translation. Family members cannot translate. IRCC email messages are not accepted as permit proof. The permit itself has to be in the file.

Primary documents, from the required documents for SIN page, last updated 20 May 2026:

• Canadian citizens: a provincial or territorial birth certificate, a certificate of Canadian citizenship, or a Registration of Birth Abroad issued before 1977. Quebec birth documents issued before 1994 are not accepted.
• Permanent residents: a permanent resident card, a Confirmation of Permanent Residence within 1 year of landing, or a Record of Landing issued before 2002. Verification of Landing or Status Verification can only amend a record or confirm an existing SIN.
• Temporary residents: a work permit, a study permit that says you "may work" or "may accept employment" in Canada, a visitor record that authorizes work, or a diplomatic identity card plus a work authorization from Global Affairs Canada.

If the study permit or visitor record is silent on work, contact IRCC about an amended permit before you apply. A standard study permit with no work line does not get you a SIN.

The secondary document must be valid and must show your full legal name and date of birth. A Canadian or foreign passport works. So does a Canadian driver's licence, a provincial or territorial identity card, or other Canadian government-issued ID.

Name-change supporting documents include a marriage certificate (not valid for Quebec residents married after 1 April 1981, wherever the marriage took place), a divorce document, a legal change of name certificate or court order, or an adoption order. If you changed your name more than once, you need a document for each change.

How do you apply online, by mail, or in person?

Short answer: Online is the fastest route. You upload clear digital copies of both sides of each document, including the borders. Processing is about 5 business days to view the SIN confirmation letter in My Service Canada Account, or before the confirmation is mailed. Mail takes about 20 business days. You send original documents to Service Canada Social Insurance Registration Office, PO Box 7000, Bathurst NB E2A 4T1, Canada. Service Canada returns the documents by mail and is not responsible for items lost in transit. In person, you bring originals to a Service Canada office.

Start at Apply for a SIN and pick your status and channel. The online form is at sin-nas.canada.ca. Photograph documents flat, in even light, with all four edges visible. Glare and cropped borders are the usual reason an upload is rejected.

You can start working as soon as you apply. You do not wait for the number. Your employer still has to record the SIN, so follow up when the confirmation letter is ready.

What happens if your 9-series SIN expires while you wait on a new permit?

Short answer: If the SIN expires but you applied to extend the permit and you are on maintained status, you can continue working with the expired SIN until IRCC makes a decision. That is Service Canada's published rule on the temporary residents page. Once the new permit arrives, apply to extend the SIN expiry so the record matches. After the update, destroy the old SIN document.

Payroll software often ignores maintained status and flags the expired number. Bring the extension receipt and the Service Canada wording. Then update the SIN the day the new permit is in hand. IRCC emails are still not enough. You need the permit document itself.

Maintained status is an IRCC rule, not a Service Canada invention. If you did not apply to extend before the permit expired, you are not on maintained status. Do not assume the expired SIN still covers work in that case.

How do you find a SIN you already have?

Short answer: Sign in to My Service Canada Account and view or print it. If you cannot get into the account, look on an income tax return, a tax slip such as a T4, a Record of Employment, or a Registered Retirement Savings Plan contribution receipt. If you still cannot find it, apply for a Confirmation of SIN. That process uses the same documents as a first-time application. It confirms the existing number. It does not issue a new one.

A 9-series SIN must be valid to use My Service Canada Account. If it has expired, extend it first using the temporary residents steps. The damaged, forgotten or lost SIN page, last updated 2 June 2026, is the source for recovery. If you find someone else's card or letter, return it to a Service Canada Centre or mail it to the Bathurst registration office.

Service Canada issues a new number only when there is clear evidence the current SIN has been used fraudulently. That path is SIN fraud or data breach, not a routine confirmation.

What mistakes cost newcomers time or pay?

Short answer: Arriving with only the permit and no secondary ID. Uploading cropped or glare-filled scans. Treating an IRCC email as the permit. Letting a 9-series expiry sit after a new permit arrives. Putting the number on a resume. Paying a third party to "get" a SIN. Assuming a study permit authorizes work when the document does not say so. After you land, the number belongs on payroll and tax forms, almost nowhere else.

Give the number to an employer after you have accepted a job, not on the application form. Nobody from Service Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency will email or text asking you to send the number. Use a canada.ca contact path if a message looks official.

We are Go Far Global, a licensed Canadian immigration firm. A SIN is a Service Canada file, not an IRCC visa, but the two lock together on every work permit and study-permit-with-work file we see. If the permit wording, maintained status, or a 9-series expiry is blocking payroll, book a consultation and we will read the documents with you.

Sources

• Social Insurance Number (Service Canada, updated 2026-07-03)
• SIN for temporary residents (updated 2026-06-02)
• Apply for a SIN
• Required documents for SIN (updated 2026-05-20)
• Damaged, forgotten or lost SIN (updated 2026-06-02)
• My Service Canada Account
• SIN fraud or data breach