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How do I apply for a Social Insurance Number card?
Note: if you need to replace your card, a fee may be required.
At a Service Canada Centre
Take advantage of our improved service... it's fast, simple, secure!
Service Canada has made it easy for you to apply for a Social Insurance Number ( SIN), replace your card or amend your SIN record.
Simply gather the document(s) you need and take them to your nearest Service Canada Centre. A Citizen Service Agent will work with you to process your application online. If your application and document(s) are in order, you will get a Social Insurance Number in one visit and receive your card within five working days. Plus, by applying at a Service Canada Centre, you won’t have to send your personal documents by mail.
By Mail
If you need to apply by mail, please follow these steps:
- complete an application form from our Web site or call us to request one
- gather your original document(s)
Send your completed application, original document(s) and payment, if required to:
Service Canada
Social Insurance Registration Office
P.O. Box 7000
Bathurst, New Brunswick
E2A 4T1
If you send your application by registered mail, we will send your document(s) and SIN card in the same manner. We are not responsible for document(s) lost in the mail.
If your application meets the requirements, you’ll receive your card in the mail within 20 business days from the date we receive the application.
Through the Newborn Registration Service
The Newborn Registration Service is available in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia only.
New Brunswick residents only
Some New Brunswick residents can apply by phone. If you were born in New Brunswick after 1915 and have on hand a New Brunswick Birth Certificate, or if you were born outside Canada and entered Canada after 1971 and have on hand an appropriate identity document issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, you may be eligible to apply for a Social Insurance Number by calling toll-free at 1-888-428-0888.
