Evacuees of the Alberta wildfires who lost or left behind their Alberta driver’s licence, ID card or birth certificate between April 29 and June 29 will be able to replace these documents free of charge.

Evacuees must visit a registry agent office in person to replace their documents at no cost.

Registry agents will follow procedures to confirm an applicant’s identity and ensure they are from an area under evacuation before ordering replacement documents at no charge.

Replacement cards and certificates will be sent to an address specified by the applicant. Applicants can choose to send replacement identification to an alternate address that is not a post office box, including evacuation centres and registry agents. The replacements will arrive in about five business days.

Replacing a driver’s licence or ID card

  • Registry agents will validate an applicant’s identity by looking up their image and signature to ensure both match what is on file.
  • Registry agents will validate an applicant’s evacuee status by comparing their address on their motor vehicle file, with a government list of affected areas that is updated daily.
  • The agent will ask personal knowledge verification questions that only the applicant can answer.

Replacing a birth certificate

  • Birth certificates can be replaced by applying in person at a registry agent office if an applicant has other ID; however, if that too is missing, an applicant will need to bring someone who can vouch for their identity, having known them for more than one year. The registry agent can assist with this process.

Alberta’s Emergency Management Cabinet Committee continues to meet regularly to respond to the current wildfire situation across the province. Cabinet continues to have decision-making abilities and will make decisions as needed to deal with this emergency.

The most up-to-date evacuation information is available at alberta.ca/emergency, Alberta Emergency Alert or by downloading the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app, which immediately pushes all alerts out to subscribers. Albertans seeking information or supports can call 310-4455.

Anyone who has been evacuated due to wildfires is asked to register at local reception centres or at emergencyregistration.alberta.ca.