CCIR / CCRRA : English model

Power of Attorney and Undertaking (PAU) for Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance

Private Passenger Automobiles

The Canada Non-Resident Inter-Province Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Power of Attorney and Undertaking (PAU) was established in 1964. Generally, this document is filed by insurers in the United States who issue motor vehicle liability policies outside of Canada.

An insurer that files a PAU protects its insureds who drive their private passenger vehicles in Canada. Companies which have filed a PAU can issue a Canadian Non-resident Inter-provincial Motor Vehicle Liability Card (commonly known as a "yellow card" or "Canadian ID Card") to their insureds for driving into Canada. These insurance cards are used as evidence of insurance coverage if stopped by enforcement officials or involved in an accident in Canada. In addition, signatories to the PAU agree to certain conditions if an insured is involved in a motor vehicle accident in Canada. For example, the company agrees to meet the minimum third party liability limits required in the province or territory where the accident took place. (In most Canadian jurisdictions, the compulsory third party liability limit is C$200,000.)

Effective November 24, 2000, the national repository for the PAU was transferred from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions in British Columbia to the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR). For more information, see the CCIR Backgrounder: Power of Attorney and Undertakings .

To view a PAU form, see Sample Forms.

To see a listing of the signatories to the PAU, please see:

Consumers who intend to drive into Canada, but do not have a Canadian Non-resident Inter-provincial Motor Vehicle Liability Card, should contact their insurance company.

If you represent a licensed insurance company and would like information about filing a PAU with the CCIR, please contact:

Ms. Claire Schmid
Administrative Co-ordinator
Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators
5160 Yonge St., Box 85
Toronto ON M2N 6L9
Tel.: 416-226-7895
Fax: 416-590-7070
e-mail: ccir-ccrra@fsco.gov.on.ca.

Commercial Vehicles

There may be additional requirements for commercial vehicles and trucks. If you require further information about these requirements, please see Canadian Authorities for Commercial Vehicle Insurance Filings.