How to Set Up a Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney is a legal document that you sign to give someone else the authority to manage your money for you. You may wish to seek advice from a legal professional if you want to set up a Power of Attorney or if you have a pre-existing Power of Attorney (POA) in place that you wish to alter or cancel.

For information that every older Canadian should know about Powers of Attorney from the Forum of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors, please review this article on the Government of Canada website.

If you want to set up a Power of Attorney (POA) on your account, we’ll need the following information from you:

• A written request to set up a power of attorney, including a reason for having it set up on your account, signed by you or your attorney  
• An original or notarized copy of the power of attorney document that:
  • Includes the words “power of attorney” and grants associated powers
  • Includes all completed pages 
  • Complies with the formal legal requirements in the province, territory and/or jurisdiction in which it was executed 
  • Is witnessed, following the applicable formal legal requirements, with the date of signing matching the date of execution
• One of the following for verification purposes:
  • Your full name and date of birth
  • Account-specific information, such as a copy of one of your previous statements, or your Capital One account number
• All of the following information about your attorney:
  • Full name (no initials) and date of birth
  • Physical address (P.O. boxes, rural routes and general delivery addresses are not accepted)
  • Phone number
  • Employer (if your attorney is self-employed, unemployed, retired or a student, please indicate as such)
  • Industry of (self-)employment (e.g., medical, finance, etc.)
  • Specific occupation (e.g. “Property Manager” instead of “Manager”)
• A copy of one current (unexpired) document showing your attorney’s name and date of birth for identity verification purposes. Examples include:
  • Passport (Canadian or foreign)
  • Driver’s licence (Canadian)
  • Certificate of Indian Status card (front and back)
  • Permanent resident card
  • Provincial/Territorial ID card (AB, BC, NB, NL, NS, NT, ON, PE, SK and YT)
  • Income statement from the Canada Revenue Agency
  • Marriage licence or birth certificate
• A copy of the page(s) from one recent document (different from the items listed above) showing your attorney’s name, address and an associated account number. Examples include:
  • Utility bill (e.g. hydro, gas, water)
  • Monthly bank account statements
  • Property tax bill
  • Phone bill
  • Credit card statement (cannot be a statement issued by Capital One)
  • A statement issued by the Canada Revenue Agency or other government agency
    Note: We only require the page(s) that contain this information. Please do not send the full document.

  Please do not submit your attorney’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) card or provincial health card. By submitting your attorney’s personal information, you confirm you have their consent to collect, use and disclose their personal information to Capital One.

  For all Capital One cardholders, send your documents to:

  Capital One Customer Service
  P.O. Box 503, Stn. D
  Scarborough, ON  M1R 5L1

  It will take approximately 14 business days to review documentation submitted in relation to a POA request. Please note that some reviews require more time and we may need to ask you for other information as part of our review. In the event we need additional information from you, we’ll let you know.

  The Canadian Bankers Association has published a list of the information about Powers of Attorney that banks will make available to clients who want to give someone else the authority to do their banking for them. Review the list.

  If you’d like to resolve any concerns related to a Power of Attorney request, please follow our complaints handling process.