If you need copies of documents from a file we’ve handled, there’s a specific process we must follow before we can hand over the papers!

As BC notaries, we have strict legal and professional obligations around confidentiality, privacy, and file storage. This guide explains who can request a file, what proof is required, and what it costs.

About Our File Request Process

We can only provide file information or documents to:

  • Our client; or
  • Their legally authorized representative.

We do not release client information to friends, family members, or others without the proper legal authority.

File Retrieval Fees

By submitting a file retrieval request, you acknowledge:

  • We charge for our time and any disbursements to locate or retrieve the file (including electronic storage).
  • Our current rate is $300/hour plus taxes and disbursements.
  • Minimum charge: $300 + taxes.

We will request a retainer before starting work.

Our Duty of Confidentiality

Even if a client is incapable or has passed away, we have a strict duty of loyalty, confidentiality, and privacy to them. These rules come from BC’s privacy laws and the professional standards of the BC Notaries Society.

Step 1: Proving Your Authority

If you are not the client, you must provide proof that you have legal authority to act for them, such as:

  • an original, fully signed, valid Power of Attorney
  • a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration
  • a Court Order (including Committeeship)

We must see the original document in person, along with your ID. We’ll take a copy for our records and return the original to you.

If more than one person was appointed to act together, we require ID and instructions from all appointed persons.

If the client has died, we will also need the original death certificate (in English).

Step 2: Verifying Your Identity

You must provide:

  • Two pieces of current, government-issued ID

If you are not near one of our offices, we can discuss third-party ID verification options.

Step 3: Reviewing Your Authority Document

Having a Power of Attorney or other authority does not automatically give you access to all of a client’s information.

Example:
If your Power of Attorney is limited to selling a client’s house, we can share information about that sale — but not about their estate planning or unrelated matters.

We review every document before deciding what can be shared.

Step 4: Client Consent

If the client is available and capable, we may confirm your request directly with them.

  • If they refuse, we cannot share information, even if you have a legal authority document.
  • If capacity is in question, we may require more steps before releasing information.

Requests from Lawyers

If you are represented by a lawyer, please have them contact us directly. Some requests may need to go through our insurer, which could cause delays.

How Long Does It Take?

We do our best to respond promptly, but timing depends on:

  • The file’s location (electronic vs. off-site storage)
  • The type of request
  • How quickly you can provide required documents and ID

No. Only the client or their authorized representative can request documents.

Possibly — once we verify your identity and authority, and we can be assured that the email address you have provided is validated.

Money-laundering and fraud scams generally use email to obtain sensitive information, and so our preference is not to use email for transferring sensitive data.  We might instead provide documents to you by way of our secure client portal.

No. We keep files for the time required by BC Notaries Society Rules, then securely destroy them.

We can discuss secure identity verification and delivery options if you live outside BC.

The documents we keep are actually our documents, and since we have so many files every year, we archive our files when we are finished our work on them.

This means we need to take time to search for the file in the archive system. We need to take time to ensure that you are not trying to fraudulently access information you do not have a right to. And we need to take time to validate your identity. Lastly, if there is a situation where you are (or could be) involved in a law suit, then we may need to have our insurer review the file before we release its contents.

All of this takes time, and so we bill for that work.

Contact Us to Start Your Request

We’re happy to walk through the file retrieval process with you.

You can call us to get the process started, or you can fill in the form on this site.

File Retrieval Request

Information About the Person Making the Request

Full Legal Name(Required)
Your Address(Required)
Your Email Address(Required)

Information about the file

Please provide any information you have regarding the file you are requesting information about:
Type of File(Required)
(if there are alternate versions of the client’s name, please advise us as this will assist in our search)
For example, a copy of the documents you signed?