How Do I Register as an Indian Under the Indian Act?

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) oversees registration under the Indian Act. You can submit your application for registration:

• in person
• at an ISC Saskatchewan regional office
• at your local First Nation office, if they offer registration services
• at the office of your Tribal Council, if they offer this service
• by mail

The places listed above may also be able to help you with the application documents or with other questions. However, it is best to call ahead to make sure those more detailed services are offered. Otherwise, you can still take your application there, you just may not be able to get help completing it.

ISC says it takes between 6 months and 2 years to process a registration application. You may be contacted for further information if ISC requires any other information to complete their assessment.

Because entitlement is based on your relationship with someone who is registered or could have been, you need to prove who your parents are and who you are.

When you apply, you need to submit…

• An original birth certificate listing the names of your parents. If you are applying in person, the person taking your application can make a formal copy of your birth certificate and you can keep the original. If you are mailing an application, you need to include the original and it will be returned to you.
• A document or a combination of documents that prove your identity. The document or combination of documents needs to show your name, date of birth, photograph and signature. If you do not have a document or a combination of documents, you can submit what you have and have a guarantor make a declaration as to your identity. Details of who can be a guarantor can be found on the ISC website. You do not need to give originals of your identity documents.
• Proof of a change of name, if you have changed your name.

If you were adopted by custom or under Canadian law as a minor by a parent who was registered or entitled to be registered, you may be entitled to be registered. You may also be entitled to be registered if one of your birth parents was entitled to be registered.

In the case of a legal adoption, you need to submit:

• a copy of the adoption order or a letter from the government confirming the adoption
• a signed consent form to allow ISC to obtain ancestry information from the government

In the case of a custom adoption, you need to contact ISC to find out what documents you need to send with your application.

If one of your birth parents is not listed on your birth certificate but is registered or entitled to be registered, you can still rely on that for your eligibility. You can either send:

• a document proving that person is your parent, such as a court order, DNA results, amended birth document, or statutory declaration from biological parents OR
• a statutory declaration from another person that can provide information about your parents and eligibility for registration

If the Registrar decides that you are not entitled to be registered, you can ask them to review the decision. This is called submitting a “protest.” The Registrar must then investigate and decide if the decision was correct or not. If you are still not happy with the decision, you can appeal to court within 6 months and ask the court to change the decision or refer it back to the Registrar again.

If your status card is lost or stolen, you need to report it to Public Enquires. They will issue you a Temporary Registration document if you request one. To replace your card, you use the same process that is used for registration. In the “reason for application” section, you can choose lost, stolen or damaged status card.