Identification Card Regulation

(Consolidated up to 161/2026) ALBERTA REGULATION 221/2003 Government Organization Act IDENTIFICATION CARD REGULATION Table of Contents 1 Definitions 2 General prohibition 3 Application 4 Applicants under 18 years 5 Residence 6 Application for operator ’ s licence 7 Identification 8 Form of identification card 9 Change in particulars 9.1 Amendment of sex on an identification card — eligibility to apply 9.4 Registrar’s powers and duties 10 Expiry 11 Leap year 11.1 Extensions of expired identification cards 12 Renewed, duplicate or reissued identification card 12.1 Cancellation for misrepresentation or error 13 Return of cancelled identification card 13.1 Return of identification card on request under Health Insurance Premiums Act 14 Fees 14.1 Applicants 65 years or older — total fee reduction 15 Identification card refund 15.1 Waiver of fees 16 Release of identification information Schedule Definitions 1 In this Regulation, (a) “Act” means the Government Organization Act ; (b) “facial recognition software” means software that measures the unique invariable characteristics of a person’s face; (c) “identification card” means an identification card as defined in section 16 of Schedule 12 to the Act; (d) “Minister” means the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction; (d.01) “personal health number” means a personal health number as defined in the Health Insurance Premiums Act ; (d.02) “physical address” means the location of a person’s residence in Alberta; (d.1) “record of birth” means a record of birth issued in accordance with the Vital Statistics Act ; (d.11) “Registrar” means the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Services as defined in section 0.1 of Schedule 12 to the Act; (d.12) “registry agent” means a registry agent as defined in section 1 of Schedule 12 to the Act; (d.13) “registry service” means any service included in the definition of “registry services” as set out in section 1 of Schedule 12 to the Act; (d.131) “resident of Alberta” means a person who (i) is lawfully entitled to be or to remain in Canada, and (ii) makes the person’s home in, and is ordinarily present in, Alberta; (d.14) “service charge” means the amount charged by a registry agent in accordance with the Registry Service Charges Regulation (AR 183/2005); (d.2) “sex” means (i) the anatomical sex of a person at birth, (ii) the sex (M, F or X) of a person as declared to the Registrar, (iii) following the approval of an application for amendment of sex on an identification card referred to in section 9.1, the sex that corresponds to the requested amendment, or (iv) the sex on a person’s record of birth or birth certificate; (e) “student” means a person who ordinarily resides in another province or in a state or country outside Canada but who moves to and resides in Alberta for a period of more than 3 months to attend a school, university, polytechnic institution or college as a full‑time student and includes a student who is working as part of an Alberta‑based co‑op program of study; (f) “subsisting identification card” means an identification card that, at the relevant time, is current and has not expired nor been cancelled. (g) “total fee” means the sum of any fee set out in section 14 for a registry service listed in the Schedule and the service charge for the registry service. AR 221/2003 s1;35/2007;126/2010;24/2015;104/2018;10/2019; 39/2020; 216/2022;61/2024;161/2026 General prohibition 2 The Registrar shall not issue an identification card to a person unless the Registrar is satisfied that the person (a) is at least 12 years old, (b) is not the holder of a subsisting operator’s licence under the Traffic Safety Act , and (c) is a resident of Alberta or a student. AR 221/2003 s2;185/2007;161/2026 Application 3 (1) An applicant for an identification card shall apply to the Registrar in the form and manner approved by the Registrar. (2) An application for an identification card must be accompanied by the fee required under section 14. (3) The following information about the applicant must be included in an application for an identification card: (a) last name and first name expressed in accordance with subsection (4); (b) postal address; (c) physical address; (d) telephone number, if any; (e) sex; (f) date of birth; (g) hair and eye colour; (h) height and weight; (i) personal health number, if the applicant (i) has been assigned a personal health number, and (ii) has not filed a declaration under section 25 of the Health Insurance Premiums Act stating that the applicant elects to be outside the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan under Part 1 of the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act and the Insured Hospital Services Plan under Part 2 of the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act . (4) For the purposes of subsection (3), an applicant’s last name and first name (a) must be expressed in letters of the alphabet of the English language, (b) must not consist primarily of punctuation or other marks, and (c) may include a hyphen or an apostrophe but not other punctuation or other marks. (5) If a parent or guardian is required to consent to an application, the following information about the parent or guardian must be included in or with the application: (a) first and last name; (b) relationship to the applicant; (c) postal address. (5.1) Notwithstanding subsection (3)(i), the Registrar may accept the application of an applicant that does not include the applicant’s personal health number if the applicant provides the personal health number to the Registrar not later than 60 days after the application is made. (6) Except for an application under section 12(3.1), an applicant for an identification card shall sign the application. AR 221/2003 s3;78/2022;161/2026 Applicants under 18 years 4 (1) A person who is 12 years old or older and less than 18 years old may not apply for an identification card unless (a) a parent or guardian of the applicant consents by signing the application or a consent form in a manner satisfactory to the Registrar, (b) the applicant provides proof, satisfactory to the Registrar, that the applicant is self‑supporting, or (c) the applicant provides proof, satisfactory to the Registrar, that the applicant is married or is an adult interdependent partner. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an application for a renewal of an identification card, a duplicate identification card or the reissuance of an identification card. (3) The Registrar shall cancel an identification card issued to a person (a) who is not 18 years old or older and did not submit the consent or proof required by subsection (1), (b) if the parent or guardian of the person, in writing, withdraws the consent given in the application or consent form, or (c) if proof is provided, satisfactory to the Registrar, that the person was not self‑supporting or was not married or an adult interdependent partner at the time the identification card was issued. (4) The Registrar shall not issue a new identification card to a person referred to in subsection (3) unless the person applies in accordance with subsection (1) or is 18 years old or older. (5) The Registrar shall not issue an identification card with the sex of the applicant listed as “X” to a person who is 12 years old or older and less than 18 years old, except following the approval of an application for amendment of sex on an identification card pursuant to section 9.1. AR 221/2003 s4;185/2007;104/2018;161/2026 Residence 5 (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), an application for an identification card must be accompanied by proof, satisfactory to the Registrar, that the applicant (a) is lawfully entitled to be or to remain in Canada, and (b) makes the applicant’s home in, and is ordinarily present in, Alberta. (2) The Registrar may accept an application that is not accompanied by the proof required under subsection (1)(a) if that proof is provided to the Registrar not later than 60 days after the application was made. (3) The Registrar may accept an application that is not accompanied by the proof required under subsection (1)(b) if the applicant is a student and the application is accompanied by (a) the address in Alberta where the applicant is residing while a student, and (b) proof, satisfactory to the Registrar, of the applicant’s enrolment at a school, university, polytechnic institution or college in Alberta. (4) In determining whether an applicant is lawfully entitled to be or to remain in Canada, the Registrar may, without limitation, consider the following: (a) the representations made in the applicant’s application, supported by the documents and other evidence or information that the Registrar may require; (b) the place of birth on the applicant’s record of birth; (c) verification by the Government of Canada or a province or territory of Canada of the documents, evidence or information required under clause (a). AR 221/2003 s5;10/2019;161/2026 Application for operator ’ s licence 6 (1) If a person who holds an identification card applies for and receives an operator’s licence under the Traffic Safety Act , the person shall destroy the person’s identification card. (2) Despite subsection (1), a person may retain the identification card referred to in subsection (1) for use as photo identification until the person receives the final operator’s licence. AR 221/2003 s6;78/2022 Identification 7 (1) Before issuing or renewing an identification card or issuing a duplicate identification card, the Registrar (a) must be satisfied that the applicant is the person named in the application, and (b) must require that an image of the applicant’s face, for incorporation in the identification card, be taken by equipment provided by the Registrar, except in the case of an application under section 12(3.1). (2) An image incorporated into the identification card must be an image taken under subsection (1). (3) The Registrar may, without limiting the use of other means of identity verification, use facial recognition software for the purpose of the identification of, or the verification of the identity of, a person who has applied for an identification card. AR 221/2003 s7;78/2022;161/2026 Form of identification card 8 (1) An identification card must be in a form approved by the Registrar. (2) An identification card must contain the following information about the cardholder: (a) last name; (b) first name; (c) date of birth; (d) height; (e) weight; (f) sex; (g) eye colour; (h) hair colour; (i) an image of the cardholder’s face; (j) a reproduction of the cardholder’s usual signature; (k) subject to subsection (3.1), physical address; (l) personal health number, unless the cardholder (i) has not been assigned a personal health number, (ii) has filed a declaration referred to in section 3(3)(i)(ii), (iii) is a deemed resident within the meaning of the Alberta Health Care Insurance Regulation (AR 76/2006), or (iv) belongs to a category of residents who, under the Health Insurance Registration Renewal Regulation (AR 129/2026), are not eligible to apply for a combined certificate; (m) citizenship, if the proof required under section 5(1)(a) establishes the Canadian citizenship of the cardholder. (3) An identification card must also contain the following: (a) the identification card number; (b) the date of issue of the identification card; (c) the expiry date of the identification card; (d) the words “To identify persons to the Alberta Government”. (3.1) The Registrar may, on the request of an applicant for an identification card, issue an identification card that contains one of the following addresses rather than the applicant’s physical address: (a) the applicant’s postal address; (b) another address satisfactory to the Registrar. (4) An identification card must be signed or sealed by the Registrar in a manner satisfactory to the Registrar. (5) A person who applies for an identification card shall provide the Registrar with the person’s usual signature to be incorporated in the identification card. (6) An identification card is issued on the date of issue specified on the identification card. AR 221/2003 s8;161/2026 Change in particulars 9 (1) A holder of a subsisting identification card shall notify the Registrar of a change in respect of one or more of the following particulars of the holder: (a) name; (b) physical address; (c) postal address; (d) personal health number; (e) basis for lawful entitlement to be or to remain in Canada. (2) A notification under subsection (1) must be in the form and manner approved by the Registrar and provided not more than 14 days after the change is effective. (3) On receipt of the notification, the Registrar may, (a) in the case of a change referred to in subsection (1)(a), reissue the identification card with the holder’s new name, (b) in the case of a change referred to in subsection (1)(b), reissue the identification card with the holder’s new physical address, if the identification card contains the holder’s physical address, (c) in the case of a change referred to in subsection (1)(c), reissue the identification card with the holder’s new postal address, if the identification card contains the holder’s postal address, (d) in the case of a change referred to in subsection (1)(d), reissue the identification card (i) with the holder’s new personal health number, if the identification card contains the holder’s personal health number and that personal health number has changed, or (ii) without a personal health number, if the holder has filed a declaration referred to in section 3(3)(i)(ii), or (e) in the case of a change referred to in subsection (1)(e), reissue the identification card (i) with the holder’s citizenship information, if as a result of the change the holder has acquired Canadian citizenship, or (ii) without the holder’s citizenship information, if as a result of the change the holder has lost Canadian citizenship. (4) Section 3(4) applies to a new name. (5) Subsection (1)(d) does not apply if the holder belongs to a category of residents referred to in section 8(2)(l)(iv). (6) A holder of a subsisting identification card that contains an address referred to in section 8(3.1)(b) shall notify the Registrar of a change in respect of that address in accordance with subsection (2), and on receipt of the notification, the Registrar may reissue the identification card with a new address under section 8(3.1)(b). (7) The Registrar may cancel the identification card issued to a holder if the holder fails to comply with subsection (1), (2) or (6), as applicable. AR 221/2003 s9;78/2022;161/2026 Amendment of sex on an identification card — eligibility to apply 9.1 (1) A person may apply to amend the sex on that person’s identification card if (a) the person’s record of birth has been amended in accordance with the Vital Statistics Information Regulation , (b) the person is at least 18 years of age, (c) the person is less than 18 years of age, but is married or an adult independent partner, (d) the person is less than 18 years of age, and is providing the parents’ and guardian’s consents referred to in subsections (2) and (3), or (e) the person is less than 18 years of age, and there is a court order dispensing with the parents’ and guardian’s consents referred to in subsections (2) and (3). (2) The consent of both parents listed on the minor’s record of birth or birth certificate is required for an application under subsection (1)(d) unless (a) a parent provides an affidavit stating that the parent is the sole guardian of the minor, or that there are no other guardians by operation of section 20 of the Family Law Act , or (b) a parent provides an affidavit stating that there is a court order that gives sole guardianship of the minor to that parent or that states that the other parent is no longer a guardian, (c) there is a court order that appoints guardians in lieu of the parents, in which case the consent of those guardians is required and the parents’ consent is not required, or (d) there is a court order dispensing with consents of the parents or guardians who do not consent. (3) Where there is a court order that appoints guardians in addition to the parents, the consent of those guardians to an application under subsection (1)(d) is also required unless there is a court order dispensing with the consents of those guardians. (4) A parent’s or guardian’s consent referred to in subsection (2) or (3) must include the following information: (a) the parent’s or guardian’s full name; (b) the parent’s or guardian’s current mailing address and telephone number; (c) the parent’s or guardian’s signature; (d) the date on which the parent or guardian signed the consent, which must be within one year of the date of the application; (e) the full name, address and telephone number of an adult who witnessed the parent or guardian signing the consent and the relationship of the witness to the parent or guardian giving consent, if any; (f) the signature of the witness. (5) A witness referred to in subsection (4) must be at least 18 years of age and cannot be the applicant. AR 126/2010 s3;24/2015;61/2024 9.2 and 9.3 Repealed AR 104/2018 ss5, 6. Registrar’s powers and duties 9.4 (1) On receipt of an application for amendment to the sex on an identification card and of the documents required to be filed with it and payment of the prescribed fee the Registrar shall, if satisfied that the Act and Regulation have been complied with, amend the sex on the identification card accordingly. (2) The Registrar may require any applicant or person to return to the Registrar any previously issued identification card in the applicant’s or the person’s possession. AR 24/2015 s3;161/2026 Expiry 10 (1) An identification card expires (a) if the applicant’s next birthday is 6 months or less after the date of the application, 5 years from that birthday, (b) if the applicant’s next birthday is more than 6 months after the date of the application, 4 years from that birthday, and (c) if the identification card is issued as a renewal of a previous identification card, 5 years from the expiry date of the identification card being renewed. (2) The Registrar may issue an identification card that expires before the time set out in subsection (1). AR 221/2003 s10;161/2026 Leap year 11 If the expiry date on an identification card is shown as February 29, the identification card expires on March 1 if the year in which the identification card expires is not a leap year. Extensions of expired identification cards 11.1 (1) If the provision of services by the Registrar under this Act is interrupted in any area of Alberta for a period of time that the Registrar considers to be sufficiently material, the Registrar may make a written declaration that a material interruption of such services exists for the purposes of this section. (2) The Registrar’s declaration must specify the area affected, the beginning of the declared period of interruption and the substantive effect of subsection (3) and give any other information that the Registrar considers necessary concerning the interruption. (3) An expired identification card the potential for whose renewal is impacted by the declared interruption is to be recognized under the Act as a still subsisting identification card that has been issued under the Act during the period of the interruption as declared under subsections (2) and (4). (4) The Registrar shall also make a written declaration specifying the ending of the period of the declared interruption. (5) The declarations under this section are to be treated as documents incorporated by reference in this section, but the Registrar shall forthwith have each notice published on the Registrar’s website maintained on the Government’s Department of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction website. (6) The onus of proving that an identification card falls within this section is on the person so claiming. AR 39/2020 s3; 216/2022 Renewed, duplicate or reissued identification card 12 (1) For the purposes of this section, “submitted electronically”, when used in reference to an application to renew an identification card, means an application submitted through the website designated by the Registrar that is maintained by the Government of Alberta. (1.1) A person may apply to the Registrar in a form and manner approved by the Registrar (a) for a duplicate identification card if the person holds a subsisting identification card that is lost, destroyed or unreadable, (b) for a renewed identification card if the person holds an identification card that is about to expire or has expired, or (c) for a reissued identification card if the person holds a subsisting identification card and the person’s sex has changed. (2) Unless the Act or this Regulation provides otherwise, a person who has more than one version of an identification card shall keep the most recent subsisting version and destroy all others. (3) An application under subsection (1.1) must include (a) the information listed in section 3(3), (b) the applicant’s signature, and (c) the proof required under section 5(1)(a), if the application is an application under subsection (1.1)(b) and is the applicant’s first application under that subsection. (3.1) An application for a renewed identification card may be submitted electronically to the Registrar if all of the following conditions are met: (a) the applicant has a subsisting identification card or an identification card that has been expired for less than 6 months; (b) the applicant (i) has not previously applied to renew the applicant’s identification card, or (ii) did not submit the applicant’s most recent renewal application electronically; (c) the applicant is a resident of Alberta; (d) the applicant is 18 years old or older; (e) the applicant’s information under section 3(3) has not changed since the issue of the applicant’s subsisting or expired identification card; (f) the image of the applicant’s face was taken under section 7(1)(b) less than 10 years from the date the application is submitted electronically; (g) the applicant’s signature as required by section 3(6) was provided in person to the Registrar less than 10 years from the date the application is submitted electronically. (3.2) Following an application to renew an identification card under this section, the applicant may retain the identification card being renewed for use as photo identification until the applicant receives the new identification card. (4) Despite subsection (1.1), if a person does not renew an identification card within 6 months after the date on which the identification card expires, the person shall apply for an identification card under section 3 as if the expired identification card had not been issued. AR 221/2003 s12;78/2022;61/2024;161/2026 Cancellation for misrepresentation or error 12.1 (1) The Registrar may, on 15 days’ notice in writing to the holder of an identification card and on providing the cardholder with the opportunity to make representations, cancel an identification card on the grounds that (a) misrepresentations, false information or inaccuracies were contained in (i) the cardholder’s application for the identification card, or (ii) a document that was provided to the Registrar as proof that the cardholder was a resident of Alberta, or (b) an error was made in issuing the identification card. (2) Notice under subsection (1) may be sent by ordinary mail to the postal address provided by the card holder on the application for the identification card and shall be deemed to have been received 5 days after the date on which it was mailed. (3) Unless the Act or this Regulation requires otherwise, the holder of an identification card that is cancelled under subsection (1) shall return the card to the Registrar immediately. AR 104/2018 s7;161/2026 Return of cancelled identification card 13 The holder of an identification card that is cancelled under section 4(3) or 9(7) shall surrender the identification card to the Registrar immediately. AR 221/2003 s13;104/2018;161/2026 Return of identification card on request under Health Insurance Premiums Act 13.1 (1) In this section, (a) “certificate of registration” means a certificate of registration as defined in the Health Insurance Premiums Act ; (b) “Minister” means the Minister determined under section 16 of the Act as the Minister responsible for the Health Insurance Premiums Act . (2) If under section 24.3 of the Health Insurance Premiums Act the Minister requests the Registrar to require the return or surrender of an identification card that is deemed to be a certificate of registration, the Registrar shall require the holder of the identification card that is the subject of the request to return the identification card to the Registrar. (3) Before acting under subsection (2), the Registrar shall provide the holder with 15 days’ notice in writing. (4) Notice under subsection (3) may be sent by ordinary mail to the postal address included in the holder’s application for the identification card and shall be deemed to have been received 5 days after the date on which it was mailed. (5) Unless the Act, this Regulation or the Minister requires otherwise, the holder shall return the identification card within 15 days after receipt of the notice. AR 161/2026 s14 Fees 14 (1) Subject to subsections (2) to (4), the fee for issuing an identification card is $9 for each year of the identification card from the applicant’s next birthday to a maximum of $45. (2) The minimum fee for issuing an identification card is $9. (3) The fee for the renewal of an identification card is $9 for each year of the renewed identification card from the expiry date of the identification card being renewed. (4) The fee for issuing a duplicate identification card or reissuing an identification card is $15. AR 221/2003 s14;39/2011;165/2019;61/2024;81/2025 Applicants 65 years or older — total fee reduction 14.1 (1) Notwithstanding section 14, an applicant who provides proof, satisfactory to the Registrar, that the applicant is 65 years of age or older at the time an application is submitted for the provision of a registry service listed in the Schedule shall receive a 25% reduction from the total fee. (2) The 25% reduction from the total fee must first be applied to the fee set out in section 14. (3) In the event the fee set out in section 14 is less than the 25% reduction applied in subsection (2), (a) the service charge must be reduced by the amount necessary to provide a 25% reduction from the total fee, and (b) the Registrar shall reimburse the registry agent for the reduction applied to the service charge. AR 61/2024 s6;161/2026 Identification card refund 15 (1) If an identification card is surrendered for one of the following reasons, the Registrar may authorize a refund of $9 for each complete unexpired year of the identification card: (a) the holder of the identification card requests that the card be cancelled; (b) the death of the cardholder; (c) the emigration of the cardholder from Alberta; (d) the cardholder is not qualified to retain or renew the identification card; (e) another reason considered appropriate by the Registrar. (2) The Registrar may deduct a fee of $10 from a refund authorized under subsection (1). AR 221/2003 s15;39/2011;81/2025;161/2026 Waiver of fees 15.1 The Minister may, if the Minister considers it appropriate, waive any fee, or portion of any fee, required to be paid under this Regulation. AR 61/2024 s7 Release of identification information 16 (1) In this section, (a) “identification information” means recorded personal information about an identifiable individual supplied to the Registrar in an application for an identification card; (b) repealed AR 39/2020 s4. (2) Identification information may be recorded in the Registrar’s motor vehicle information system. (3) Identification information recorded in the Registrar’s motor vehicle information system shall not be released by the Registrar except to the persons to whom and in the circumstances under which information may be released under the Access to Motor Vehicle Information Regulation (AR 140/2003) . AR 185/2007 s3;39/2020;161/2026 17 Repealed AR 104/2018 s9. Schedule Fee Reduction Services for Applicants Aged 65 Years or Older Item Registry service 1 Issued identification card 2 Renewed identification card 3 Duplicate identification card 4 Reissued identification card 5 Cancel identification card AR 61/2024 s8