Skip to main content

How to Set Up a Power of Attorney

Published Date
Author Ben Breitbart

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 POA, including a reason for having it set up on your account, signed by your attorney  
  • A clear photocopy of your attorney’s valid government-issued photo ID. See below for acceptable forms of ID:
    • Canadian or foreign passport
    • Driver’s licence (Canadian)
    • Certificate of Indian Status card
    • Permanent Resident card
    • Canadian Forces ID
    • Provincial/territorial ID card (AB, BC, PE, NB, NS, NL, NT, NU, ON, SK and YT)
    • Firearms Possession and Acquisition Licence  
  • Information about the attorney:
    • First and last name (please provide the full name with no initials)
    • Physical address (P.O. boxes, rural routes and general delivery addresses are not accepted)
    • Phone number
    • Employer (if your attorney is self-employed, please indicate as such)
    • Industry of employment/self-employment (for example medical, finance, etc.)
    • Occupation (please be specific, for example “Property Manager” instead of “Manager.” If your attorney is unemployed, retired, or a student, please indicate as such.)
    • Date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • One of the following for verification purposes:
    • Your name and date of birth
    • Your Capital One account number
    • Details of account-specific information, such as a copy of one of your previous statements
  • A legible copy of the POA that:
    • Includes the words "Power of Attorney" and grants associated powers
    • Includes a complete copy of all pages
    • Complies with the formal legal requirements in the province, territory and/or jurisdiction in which it was executed
    • Is witnessed, pursuant to the applicable formal legal requirements, with the date of signing matching the date of execution

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.