A Canada Post Letter of Authorization is a one-page form that lets you name someone else to pick up your mail or apply for postal services in your name. You sign it as the addressee, hand it to your representative, and they take it to the post office along with their own government-issued photo ID. The clerk watches them sign the form at the counter, and that witnessed signature is what activates it.1Canada Post. What Is a Letter of Authorization
When You Need the Form
Canada Post requires written authorization any time someone other than the addressee tries to collect mail that needs identification. The form covers a specific person picking up parcels, signing for tracked items, or requesting postal services on your behalf.2Canada Post. Acting on Behalf of Someone Else Overview Typical situations include a family member handling parcels while you travel, a roommate collecting deliveries at a shared address, or a coworker retrieving items addressed to you.
For a single pickup, you may not need the form at all. If a mail carrier has left a Delivery Notice Card, you can sign the back, write in the name of the person you want to collect the item, and they bring the signed card with their own photo ID to the post office. This shortcut works only for mail addressed to an individual, not to a business or organization.2Canada Post. Acting on Behalf of Someone Else Overview For ongoing pickups or for authorizing postal service applications, use the Letter of Authorization.
Where to Get It
You can download the form as a PDF from the Canada Post support pages and print it at home, or pick up a blank copy at any post office. There is no fee.1Canada Post. What Is a Letter of Authorization
How to Fill It Out
The form captures two things: who is granting authority and who is receiving it. Fill in the printed name and signature of the addressee (the individual, business, or organization), then the name and signature space for each person you are authorizing.1Canada Post. What Is a Letter of Authorization
If the authorization is on behalf of a business or organization, the person signing must have authority to sign for that entity. Complete every field legibly. Sign the form before your representative takes it in. You do not need to visit the post office yourself.2Canada Post. Acting on Behalf of Someone Else Overview
What Your Representative Brings to the Counter
Two items: the completed form you signed, and their own valid government-issued photo ID. At the counter, they sign the letter in the presence of the Canada Post employee or retail postal clerk. Without that witnessed signature, the clerk will not release mail.1Canada Post. What Is a Letter of Authorization
If your representative’s ID does not show the same address as yours, Canada Post treats this as third-party pickup, asks for additional proof of authority, and records the representative’s information.2Canada Post. Acting on Behalf of Someone Else Overview Bringing a proof of residency document helps.
Acceptable ID
The photo ID must be an original (not a photocopy), currently valid, and government-issued. It must show a photograph, a unique identifier number, and the jurisdiction of issuance such as a province or country.3Canada Post. Items That Need ID A Canadian or foreign passport, a driver’s licence, or a permanent resident card all qualify.4Canada Post. Do I Need ID to Pick Up Mail at the Post Office
Proof of Residency
When the photo ID does not display the current address, a separate proof of residency document may be required. Options include a recent utility bill, a bank statement, a residential lease or mortgage statement, a municipal tax notice, a vehicle ownership or insurance document, or the most recent income tax assessment. Each must be an original, paper or electronic, showing the person’s name and applicable address. A Delivery Notice Card completed by a Canada Post delivery employee also counts as proof of residency, but only for picking up the item at the counter, not for other postal services.5Canada Post. Proofs of Residency Documents
What the Form Cannot Do
One limit catches people off guard. Items sent using Canada Post’s Proof of Identity service can only be accepted by the addressee in person. A Letter of Authorization will not work for those items, and neither will any other legal document.1Canada Post. What Is a Letter of Authorization If you are expecting a Proof of Identity shipment, plan to collect it yourself.
The form is also not a power of attorney. It authorizes only the specific postal activities described on it: collecting mail and applying for Canada Post services.
When You Need More Than This Form
Additional legal documentation is required when someone acts on behalf of a business or organization, a child under the age of majority, a deceased person, someone under a power of attorney or the Office of the Public Trustee, or in cases involving bankruptcy, receivership, or winding up.2Canada Post. Acting on Behalf of Someone Else Overview
For a deceased person’s mail, the representative brings their own photo ID, a death certificate, and proof of appointment as the legal representative. If the death certificate itself names the person as executor, a separate proof of appointment is not needed.6Canada Post. Mail Forwarding – What to Bring to the Post Office
For a business, a Letter of Authorization signed by someone with signing authority can name employees or agents to pick up mail, but the clerk may ask for corporate documentation confirming that signing authority. Bring it to avoid delays.
Why the Rules Are Strict
Under the Canada Post Corporation Act, knowingly opening, keeping, delaying, or detaining mail without authorization is an offence, punishable by up to five years of imprisonment if prosecuted as an indictable offence.7Department of Justice Canada. Canada Post Corporation Act A completed Letter of Authorization creates the record that the addressee gave permission, which is why the counter signature and photo ID matter so much.