First 90 Days in Canada Checklist: SIN, Health Card, Banking, Credit and Taxes

In your first 90 days in Canada, the most important tasks are getting your Social Insurance Number (SIN), applying for your provincial health card, opening a bank account, and getting a Canadian phone number. Next come building credit, exchanging your driver’s licence before the deadline, and understanding when you must file your first tax return. This checklist covers each step with links to official pages.

Key points

• Week 1: apply for your SIN (free) and get a Canadian phone number.
• Weeks 1–2: open a bank account. You do not need a job or a deposit.
• Weeks 1–4: apply for your provincial health card. Some provinces have a waiting period, so buy private insurance if needed.
• Within 60–90 days: exchange your driver’s licence (Ontario gives you 60 days).
• By April 30 of next year: file your first Canadian tax return.

Rules differ by province. The examples below use Ontario and British Columbia, the two largest destinations outside Quebec. Always check your own province’s official page.

The checklist at a glance

When	Task	Where
Days 1–7	Get a Canadian phone number	Any carrier
Days 1–7	Apply for your SIN	Service Canada
Days 1–14	Open a bank account	Bank or credit union
Days 1–30	Apply for provincial health card	Province (e.g. ServiceOntario, Health Insurance BC)
Days 1–30	Buy private health insurance if there is a waiting period	Private insurer
Days 1–60	Exchange your driver’s licence	Province (e.g. DriveTest in Ontario)
Days 30–90	Start building credit	Your bank
Days 1–90	Apply for benefits you qualify for	CRA
By April 30 next year	File your first tax return	CRA

1. Get your Social Insurance Number (SIN)

You need a SIN to work in Canada, get government benefits, and open most bank accounts. Applying is free.

According to Service Canada (page updated July 15, 2026), you can apply:

• Online (Service Canada says this is faster)
• In person at a Service Canada Centre. If everything is in order, you get your SIN during your visit.
• By mail

Documents you need

Your status	Primary document
Permanent resident	PR card, or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) within one year of landing
Worker	Work permit
Student	Study permit that says you may work or accept employment

You also need the completed SIN application form, and adults may need a secondary ID such as a passport. If your name differs between documents, bring proof of the name change.

Things to know

• Service Canada no longer issues plastic SIN cards. Keep your SIN confirmation letter safe.
• Temporary residents get a SIN starting with 9. It expires when your permit expires. When you get a new permit, update your SIN record.
• Protect your SIN. Only give it to your employer, bank, and government agencies that need it.

2. Get a Canadian phone number

Many services (banks, employers, government accounts) ask for a Canadian phone number and send security codes by text. Getting one early makes the other steps easier.

• Prepaid plans do not need a credit check, which helps if you have no Canadian credit history yet.
• Postpaid (monthly contract) plans often require a credit check or a deposit.
• Check whether your phone is unlocked before you arrive, so you can use a Canadian SIM or eSIM.

3. Open a bank account

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada says you have the right to open an account without a job and without an initial deposit. You may be able to open one even if you are not a citizen.

You must show original ID, not photocopies. There are two options:

1. Two documents: one with your name and address, and one with your name and date of birth. Accepted types include government ID, a foreign passport, recent Canadian utility bills and bank statements.
2. One document plus a reference: one document with your name and date of birth, plus confirmation of your identity by an existing client in good standing or a respected community member.

Tips:

• Many banks have newcomer packages. Compare fees using the FCAC’s account comparison tool.
• Ask about how to send money abroad and the fees for international transfers.
• You may need to visit a branch in person the first time.

4. Apply for your provincial health card

Health care in Canada is run by each province and territory. You apply to your province, not the federal government.

Ontario (OHIP)

• No waiting period. Ontario says that “there is no longer a waiting period for OHIP coverage.”
• You must be physically in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period (or 153 of your first 183 days) and make Ontario your main home.
• You also need an eligible status: for example, PR, or a valid work permit with full-time work for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months.
• Apply in person at ServiceOntario with three original documents: one proving status, one proving Ontario residency, and one proving identity.

Source: Ontario OHIP page.

British Columbia (MSP)

• New residents may face a waiting period of the rest of the month they arrive, plus two months.
• BC says “You should get private health care insurance while you wait.”
• Apply online, in person at Service BC, or on paper. Most adults also need to visit an ICBC office to get a BC Services Card.

Source: BC MSP enrolment page.

Other provinces

Waiting periods and eligibility rules vary. Check your province’s health ministry website as soon as you arrive. If there is a waiting period, buy private travel or newcomer health insurance that starts on your arrival date. Emergency care without coverage can be very expensive.

5. Start building Canadian credit

Your credit history from another country usually does not move to Canada. The two Canadian credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion, only record credit activity in Canada, according to the FCAC. Scores usually range from 300 to 900.

Your Canadian credit file starts when you first borrow money or apply for credit. Ways newcomers often start:

• a newcomer credit card from your bank, with a low limit
• a secured credit card, where you put down a deposit
• paying every bill on time, every month

What helps your score: paying on time, keeping balances well below your limit, and not applying for lots of credit at once. Some lenders will review a credit report from your home country, so bring one if you can.

6. Exchange your driver’s licence

Each province sets its own rules. In Ontario, according to the provincial licence exchange page:

• You can drive with a valid licence from another country for 60 days after moving. After that you need an Ontario licence.
• If your country has an exchange agreement with Ontario (examples include Australia, France, Germany, Japan and New Zealand), you may be able to swap your licence.
• If not, you must pass a vision test, a knowledge test and a G2 road test, wait at least 12 months, then pass the G road test.
• From July 1, 2026, up to one year of foreign driving experience may be credited if you bring your original foreign licence and an official authentication letter in English or French.
• Licences not in English or French need a certified translation.

Apply at a DriveTest centre. Bring your original licence, ID and proof of driving experience.

If you live in another province, check its licensing office early. Getting an authentication letter from your home country can take weeks.

7. Understand your taxes

Your immigration status does not decide whether you pay Canadian tax. Your residency for tax purposes does. The CRA says that for most people this starts on the day they begin living in Canada.

Your first tax return

• You file for the year you arrived, by April 30 of the next year. If you arrived in 2026, your 2026 return is due April 30, 2027.
• Self-employed people have until June 15, but any tax owed is still due April 30.
• Quebec residents also file a provincial return with Revenu Québec.
• You report your world income from the date you became a resident. You do not pay Canadian tax on income earned before you arrived.
• Keep your records for at least six years.

Benefits you can apply for now

You may not have to wait for your first tax return to get some benefits:

• Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB): the CRA says this has replaced the GST/HST credit. Newcomers without children apply with form RC151.
• Canada child benefit (CCB): monthly tax-free payments for children under 18. Use form RC66, which also covers the CGEB. Temporary residents may qualify from their 19th month in Canada if they meet the conditions.

File a return every year, even if you have no income. Many benefits depend on it. Filing also matters if you plan to become a citizen: you need to have filed taxes for 3 of the 5 years before applying, if required. See our guide to Canadian citizenship requirements.

Other useful early tasks

• Find free settlement services. IRCC funds settlement organizations that help newcomers with jobs, language classes and housing. Search for services near you on the IRCC website.
• Renew documents on time. If you are on a study or work permit, note its expiry date. Our guides on the PGWP and spousal open work permits explain common next steps.
• Keep a travel log. Record every trip outside Canada. You will need it for PR card renewal and citizenship.
• Get your credentials assessed if you work in a regulated profession, such as nursing or engineering.

What to do next

1. Book or start your SIN application and get a phone number this week.
2. Check your province’s health card rules and buy private insurance if there is a wait.
3. Open a bank account and ask about a newcomer credit card.
4. Note your licence exchange deadline.
5. Put April 30 in your calendar for your first tax return.

For more guides on living and immigrating in Canada, visit the Canada country hub. This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, talk to a qualified professional.