Where to Get Application Forms

Application forms are available from any DIAND office or from Native associations like the CAP and its affiliates (local CAP offices in your area can be found by clicking on the following underlined text CAP affiliates.  Indian Band offices and Native Friendship Centres will also have copies available.

There are five parts to the application form:

A. Request Section

1. If you are applying for yourself or for your children under 18 years old, check this box and sign and date the proper spaces below it.

2. If you are the guardian of someone under 18 years old (but not their parent) or someone who is not mentally competent, check this box and sign and date the proper spaces below it.

B. Name, Address, Birth Date and former Band Number

All applicants must have their names, addresses and birth dates filled in here. If you once had status and lost it, also enter your former Band number and the name of your Band here. If you don't know your Band number or never had one, still write in the name of the Band you or your parents came from if you know it.

If you complete all of the sections of Part B, including the Band number, you can leave Part C blank and go directly to Part D.

C. Information on Parents and Grand-Parents

Fill in as much information in this Part as you can. It is not necessary to fill it all out, but the more information you provide here the faster your application can be approved.

D. Reason for being entitled to Status

Fill in the reason vou think you are entitled to registered status in this Part. Refer to the box on page 5 and put the description that applies to you in Part D, including the reference to the appropriate Indian Act section.

You should also write down any information relating to your original loss of status in this Part or on a seperate sheet of paper, including your date of marriage (if you lost status by marriage), the date of any enfranchisment order, or the date your registration was protested (if you lost status because your mother was not married and your father was not a status Indian) .

E. Information on Children

If you checked the first box in Part A (1.) and have children under 18 years old who you want registered, put their names and birth dates in this section. Also write in the name of your children's other parent in this Part, along with their birth dates, status, Band number and name of Band. Note: the section in Part E that asks you to check if the other parent is a registered Indian or not should be checked ([1 No) only if you know for sure that the other parent is not entitled to be registered.

Documentation You Might Need

In some cases you will have to send in supporting documents such as copies of Birth Registrations. If you are applying for your children's status or if you are applying as a Guardian you must send in copies of their Birth Registration forms if you can obtain them.

Note that a Birth Registration is not the same thing as a Birth Certificate, although a Birth Certificate has the number and date of the Birth Registration.

If you don't already have them in your family records, Birth Registrations are available for a fee ranging from $5 to $10 from Provincial government offices (usually known as the Registrar-General or Vital Statistics offices) . To obtain Birth Registrations send a letter to the Provincial or Territorial Registrar-General or Vital Statistics office in the province where the child was born, give the full name at birth of the child, his/her date and place of birth, his/her parent's names and a check or money order for the amount charged. If you know them, also include the Birth registration number and date (you can find these on the child's Birth Certificate).

Native Associations will be able to help you with this process, and can give you the addresses and charges of Vital Statistics offices. Normally, it takes from three to six weeks to obtain a copy of Birth Registrations.

If you have difficulty in locating any documents you need to prove your entitlement to status, contact your local Native Association, Friendship Centre, or office of DIAND for help.

Where to Send Your Application

To apply for registration you must have your application sent to the Registrar. The Registrar receives all applications for registration and he/she determines whether or not a person is entitled to be registered on the Federal Indian Register.

The Registrar's address is:
Registrar
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
OTTAWA, Ontario
K1A OH4

To ensure that your application is forwarded to the Registrar, just make sure that your forms are clearly marked: "For the attention of the Registrar".

Remember to keep copies of your Application Form and any documents you send in with it.

What Happens Next?

Application forms are taking anywhere from a week to several months to process, depending on the complexity of your situation and whether or not you have provided the Registrar with all the information needed.

Once your application has been received by the Registrar, one of three things could happen:

1. You could be informed that more information is needed.

If this happens you will have to try and obtain the information the Registrar asks you to obtain.

2. You could be told that you are registered.

This means that your application has been accepted and that you are now a registered Indian and, if you are entitled, a Band Member. You will be told in a letter under what section of the Indian Act you were registered and, if you receive Band Membership, you will be told your Band number and the Bandwhich you are a member of.

3. You could be informed that you are not entitled to be registered.

In this case the Registrar will write you a letter explaining why you are not entitled to be registered. If you feel the Registrar made a mistake in not registering you, then you have three years in which to file a written protest to the Registrar. If you are still rejected you can appeal to the courts within sixmonths. Native Associations will be able to help you research and file protests or appeals.

Where To Get Information and Assistance

Your best bet is to go straight to the horses' mouth, so to speak and contact the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. For specific information on Bill C-31 registration call  the Office of the Registrar at (819) 997-8274.

If you have any difficulties or think you are being handled inappropriately by the Department, you can contact (click on the underlined text) the CAP affiliate in your Province or Territory for assistance.