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Who must submit proof of relationship

Proof of relationship is documentation that demonstrates a family relationship to a Claimant. There are several situations where you will need to submit copies of documentation showing proof of relationship along with your Claim Form:

  1. If you are a Family Class Claimant (Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child) who is submitting a Claim for compensation, you will need to provide proof of relationship between yourself and the associated Child if:
    • You are not First Nations; or
    • You are not the Child’s biological Caregiving Parent or biological Caregiving Grandparent.
  2. If you are a representative who is submitting a Claim for a Family Class Claimant who is a Person Under Disability or a deceased person, you will need to provide proof of relationship between the Claimant you represent and the associated Child if:
    • The Claimant you represent is not First Nations; or
    • The Claimant you represent is not the Child’s biological Caregiving Parent or biological Caregiving Grandparent.
  3. If you are family member submitting a Claim as an Heir Representative for a Deceased Claimant, where there is no Grant of Authority in place, you will need to provide proof of relationship between yourself and the Deceased Claimant if:
    • You are not First Nations; or
    • You are not biologically related to the Deceased Claimant.

    In this situation, if you are First Nations and are biologically related to the deceased person, you do not need to provide proof of relationship documentation. Instead, you will be asked to provide your Indian Registration Number (Status card number) and your date of birth on the Claim Form. The Administrator will use this information to attempt to confirm your relationship to the Deceased Claimant. If the Administrator cannot confirm your relationship, you will be required to provide proof of relationship documentation.

Heir Representatives will also need to list other living family members who are related to the Deceased Claimant on the Claim Form. Important: proof of relationship for each of the other family members is not required. The Administrator will contact you if additional information is needed about the other family members listed on the Claim Form.

Proof of Relationship Documentation

Most of these documents can be ordered from your provincial/territorial Vital Statistics Office. Fees range from $10.00 to $75.00. A certified copy of these documents is not required.

If proof of relationship is required for the Claim you are submitting, you will need to provide at least one form of supporting proof of relationship documentation. Here are some examples of acceptable documentation for proof of relationship:

Adoption papers issued by the province or territory showing the name and birth date of the Child and details about the adoptive parents.

Long-form birth certificate or a “birth certificate with parental information.” In addition to the child’s birth information, these certificates include the names of the parents and other identifying information.

Marriage documents including a marriage certificate issued by the province or territory where the wedding took place, or a certificate signed by the marriage officiant who performed the ceremony and is registered and authorized to perform weddings by the province/territory where the wedding took place.

Other documents not listed here may also be accepted by the Administrator as proof that you are the deceased person’s heir.  Contact the Administrator if you are not sure whether the documents you have will be accepted.