Canada

Identity Verification & KYC For Canada

Q: What is the primary ID used for KYC in Canada?

Provincial driver’s licences and photo ID cards are most common. Passports are widely used for remote onboarding and non-residents.

Q: Can we verify customers using credit file checks?

Yes, where the file has existed for at least three years and meets FINTRAC’s multi-source requirements.

Q: What beneficial ownership evidence is expected in Canada?

Reporting entities must identify individuals with significant control and verify ownership structures under PCMLTFA.

Q: Do Canadian onboarding programmes require domestic sanctions screening?

Yes. Screening should include Canadian sanctions expectations alongside global lists, PEPs, and adverse media.

Q: How does Shufti handle English–French name differences?

The platform normalises accents, hyphenation, and bilingual spelling variants to reduce false mismatches.

Q: What business documents are standard for KYB in Canada?

Registry extracts, incorporation records, CRA Business Numbers, director dat,a and ISC ownership evidence are typical.

Q: Does Canada require local data residency?

Many firms apply in-country processing policies due to privacy and regulatory risk appetite. Canada has multiple hyperscaler regions.

Q: What happens if a customer fails document capture?

Retry logic and assisted workflows reduce drop-off while preserving full audit evidence for each attempt.

Unify KYC, KYB, and AML screening on a single platform aligned with Canada’s regulatory ecosystem. Built to support FINTRAC obligations, provincial onboarding realities, and audit-ready compliance workflows.

Operational performance for Canada KYC

Our Numbers Speak Volumes

97.01%

IDV

< 5 sec

Verification
Time

95%

EIDV
Coverage

Evidence-Ready Checks Across People & Businesses

Individual Documents We Verify

Shufti verifies 65+ official Canadian ID document types

View All Supported Documents

Canadian Passport (e-Passport)

Primary identity document for residents and non-residents; ICAO-compliant with MRZ for remote onboarding.

Provincial / Territorial Driver’s Licence

Most common domestic photo ID, issued across 13 jurisdictions with differing formats.

Provincial / Territorial Photo ID Card

Government-issued alternative for non-drivers, widely used for standard KYC checks.

Permanent Resident (PR) Card

Key identity document for permanent residents, often verified alongside passport evidence.

Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS)

Federal identity document used for Indigenous identity verification where applicable.

Foreign Passport

Common fallback for new residents and international customers onboarding into Canadian services.

Business Entity Identity

Certificate of Incorporation (Federal or Provincial)

Confirms the legal formation and registry existence of the corporation.

Articles of Incorporation

Validates corporate structure, governance basis, and share framework.

Corporate Profile Report / Registry Extract

Provides current status, registered office addresses,s and director information.

Certificate of Status / Good Standing

Confirms the entity remains compliant with annual filing obligations.

Business Name Registration / Master Business Licence

Primary evidence for sole proprietors, partnerships, and trade-name entities.

Co-operative or Non-profit Bylaws / Constituting Rules

Required where governance is member-based rather than shareholder-led.

Business Tax Identity

CRA Business Number (BN)

Core federal identifier used across corporate tax, payroll, and GST/HST accounts.

Provincial Sales Tax Registration (QST / PST)

Relevant for businesses operating under province-specific tax regimes.

Ownership & Control (UBO)

Individuals with Significant Control (ISC) Register

Captures individuals holding 25%+ ownership or significant influence under federal rules.

Director and Officer Registers

Used to confirm management control and accountable persons.

Shareholder Register / Corporate Minute Book Records

Supports beneficial ownership mapping across layered structures.

Board Resolutions / Authorised Signatory Evidence

Required where onboarding involves delegated authority or high-value accounts.

Trust Deed (Trust-Controlled Entities)

Identifies settlors, trustees, and beneficiaries where ownership is held via trust.

Languages We Cover

English and French document support

Canadian IDs and registry records may be issued in English, French, or bilingual formats.

Name matching across accents and compound names

Handles diacritics and hyphenation (e.g., François vs Francois, Marie-Claire variants).

Consistency across bilingual onboarding evidence

Aligns document, selfie, and registry data where formatting differences trigger exceptions.

GOVERNANCE & CONTROLS

Audit-Ready Decisions, Lower Operational Drag

Fewer Avoidable Re-Submissions

Shufti’s document capture and OCR flows reduce retries caused by provincial ID format variation across Canada.

Cleaner Audit
Trails

Shufti generates structured verification logs and decision evidence aligned to FINTRAC recordkeeping expectations.

Better Name Matching Outcomes

Shufti normalises bilingual name variants, accents, and compound surnames to prevent false mismatches in onboarding.

One workflow, one
back office

Shufti unifies KYC, KYB, and AML screening in a single operational view for Canadian compliance.

Primary ID-first flow design

Shufti prioritises provincial photo ID and passport verification workflows.

Enterprise-grade compliance infrastructure

Canada IDV/KYC Challenges

13 ID Formats Nationwide

Provincial and territorial photo IDs vary in layout and security features, increasing exceptions and manual review rates.

Credit File
Limitations

Credit file verification requires three years’ history, excluding new residents, younger clients, and credit-thin individuals.

UBO Transparency Burden

Federal “Individuals with Significant Control” rules increase scrutiny on complex ownership structures and KYB audit exposure.

Non-Face-to-Face Controls

Remote onboarding must meet strict FINTRAC verification standards, which increase compliance friction and recordkeeping burden.

Shufti’s IDV/KYC Solutions for Canada

KYC Solutions

Fast track customer onboarding and authentication with real-time identity verification solutions.

Face Verification

Detects impersonation and presentation attacks during remote onboarding, supporting Canada’s non-face-to-face compliance environment.

Age Verification

Combines selfie-based age estimation with document verification when required for regulated and age-restricted services.

Address Verification

Verifies any address-bearing document, including utility bills (Hydro-Québec, BC Hydro, Toronto Hydro) and bank statements (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO).

Document Verification

Supports passports, PR cards, and provincial ID formats, including bilingual layouts and jurisdiction-specific design differences.

Behavioural Biometrics

Globally compliant biometric authentication for selfie-based login to help businesses satisfy stringent identity verification requirements.

Video KYC

Onboard real customers and eliminate ID fraud through cost effective in house or outsourced video KYC.

KYB Solutions

Business Verification

Validates federal and provincial registrations, CRA Business Numbers, directors, and ownership control structures.

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)

Captures structured UBO evidence, risk triggers, and audit-ready decision logs aligned to FINTRAC expectations.

AML Screening

Utilise artificial intelligence models and 1700+ sanction and watchlists to identify and prevent money laundering attempts.

Business AML Screening

Screens entities, directors, and beneficial owners against Canadian domestic sanctions and global PEP/adverse media sources.

Transaction Screening

Supports ongoing monitoring aligned to suspicious transaction reporting and high-risk movement patterns.

REGULATORY ALIGNMENT

Built to Fit Canada’s Compliance Landscape

FINTRAC (Financial Intelligence Unit)

Enforces AML/KYC obligations under PCMLTFA. Shufti supports compliant identity methods, recordkeeping, beneficial ownership capture, and audit-ready decision logs.

OSFI (Prudential Financial Regulator)

Supervises federally regulated banks and insurers. Shufti enables risk-based onboarding controls, escalation workflows, and structured compliance evidence.

Corporations Canada (Federal Registry)

Maintains incorporation and ISC filings for federal corporations. Shufti supports registry-based business verification and ownership transparency checks.

Provincial & Territorial Corporate Registries

Hold entity status and director records across 13 jurisdictions. Shufti supports verification across both federal and provincial incorporation environments.

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Issues with Business Numbers and GST/HST registrations. Shufti validates tax identifiers used in KYB and risk-linked onboarding.

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (PIPEDA)

Oversees private-sector personal data handling. Shufti supports controlled processing, consent-driven workflows, and compliant retention.

Public Safety Canada (Sanctions Framework)

Supports domestic sanctions enforcement alongside global obligations. Shufti enables screening across sanctions, PE,P and adverse media requirements.

Deployment Choice

Available via Canadian cloud regions (Montréal, Toronto) or on-premise to meet enterprise governance requirements.

Regulatory Alignment

Aligned to PCMLTFA recordkeeping requirements and PIPEDA safeguard and accountability principles.

Retention controls

Configurable retention and purge settings aligned to the PCMLTFA five-year minimum recordkeeping obligation.

Encryption posture

Strong encryption applied to personal and financial data in transit and at rest in line with industry security standards.

Data Controls & Privacy for Canada

BUILT FOR COMPLIANCE TEAMS

Canada AML Sources That Strengthen Decision

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA)

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Regulations

Public Safety Canada - Anti-Money Laundering

Department of Finance Canada - Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) - Financial Crime

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA)

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Regulations

Public Safety Canada - Anti-Money Laundering

Department of Finance Canada - Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) - Financial Crime

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA)

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Regulations

Public Safety Canada - Anti-Money Laundering

Department of Finance Canada - Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) - Financial Crime

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary ID used for KYC in Canada?

Provincial driver’s licences and photo ID cards are most common. Passports are widely used for remote onboarding and non-residents.

Can we verify customers using credit file checks?

Yes, where the file has existed for at least three years and meets FINTRAC’s multi-source requirements.

What beneficial ownership evidence is expected in Canada?

Reporting entities must identify individuals with significant control and verify ownership structures under PCMLTFA.

Do Canadian onboarding programmes require domestic sanctions screening?

Yes. Screening should include Canadian sanctions expectations alongside global lists, PEPs, and adverse media.

How does Shufti handle English–French name differences?

The platform normalises accents, hyphenation, and bilingual spelling variants to reduce false mismatches.

What business documents are standard for KYB in Canada?

Registry extracts, incorporation records, CRA Business Numbers, director dat,a and ISC ownership evidence are typical.

Does Canada require local data residency?

Many firms apply in-country processing policies due to privacy and regulatory risk appetite. Canada has multiple hyperscaler regions.

What happens if a customer fails document capture?

Retry logic and assisted workflows reduce drop-off while preserving full audit evidence for each attempt.

Build a Canada-ready KYC, KYB & AML programme with Shufti

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INDEPENDENTLY AUDITED. GLOBALLY CERTIFIED.

Certified to Global Standards

PROVEN WORKFLOWS

Use Cases for Regulated Growth in Canada

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

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