How Do I Get a Free Credit Report in Canada?

Get a free copy of your Canadian credit report.

Your credit report lists vital financial information about you that your lenders and creditors will review before approving any applications you make for new credit and loans. Before allowing a third party to review your credit history, you can review it yourself to identity and dispute any errors that may appear within your file. While U.S. residents are permitted one free copy of their credit reports each year from each credit reporting agency, Canadian residents may request a credit report or "consumer disclosure" for free as often as they like.

Things You'll Need

• Consumer disclosure request forms
• Government-issued identification
• Supporting documentation

Instructions

1. Visit the provincial offices of TransUnion or Equifax in person to request a copy of your consumer disclosure if the reporting agency's headquarters is located reasonably close to your residence. Otherwise, log online and visit TransUnion.ca or Equifax.ca and download the consumer disclosure request form.

2. Print out the form. Fill out all of the requested information such as your full name, date of birth and current and past addresses. Including your Social Insurance number is optional but doing so helps each credit bureau locate your information more quickly.

3. Make a copy of two pieces of government-issued identification. Examples of government-issued identification are your driver's license, passport, birth certificate or Department of National Defence card if you are in the military. Equifax requires two pieces of government-issued identification, while TransUnion only requires one.

4. Make copies of documents that prove your current address, birth date and that have signature if your government-issued identification does not include this information. Recent utility bills, credit card statement and your most recent T4s are all acceptable.

5. Mail each consumer disclosure request form along with the accompanying copies of your identification to:

   Equifax
   National Consumer Relations
   P.O Box 190
   Station Jean-Talon
   Montreal, Quebec H1S 2Z2

   TransUnion
   P.O. Box 338 L.C.D.I.
   Hamilton, Ontario L8L 7W2

Tips & Warnings

• A different consumer disclosure request form exists for residents of Quebec. If you live in Quebec, its important to select the form specifically for your province rather than the standard request form.

• If you opt to send bills or statements to the reporting agencies to help them validate your identity, you may use a magic marker to mark out account numbers and the details of any financial transactions.

• Credit scores are not included with your free credit report. If you want to view your credit scores, you must purchase them separately.

• You can request a free copy of your credit report online, but you will be asked to pay a fee for the privilege. Online credit reports in Canada are not free.

• Although Canada and the U.S. share two of the same credit bureaus, your credit information is tracked differently depending on whether you are a U.S. citizen with a Social Security number or a Canadian citizen with a Social Insurance number. Thus, U.S. citizens cannot access their American credit reports through the Canadian credit bureaus.

References

• Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs: Credit Report/Credit File
• TransUnion: Mail
• Equifax: Request to Obtain My Free Credit Report

Resources

• Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Understanding Your Credit Report and Credit Score