12 Months Out: What to Do Before You Leave Canada
You have made the decision. Now comes the part most people underestimate: the process.
Leaving Canada permanently is not a move. It is a structured exit from a regulatory, financial, and administrative system that does not let you leave quietly. There are tax events to trigger, documents to collect, accounts to notify, and timelines to respect. If you wait until the last three months to figure any of this out, you will feel the pressure.
The good news: when you break the departure process into a time-based sequence, it becomes manageable. This guide gives you the full 12-month checklist.
12 Months Out: Set the Foundation
Book a consultation with a cross-border tax advisor.
This is the single most important action on this list and the one that cannot be deferred. Departure tax planning has a long runway. The decisions you make about your investments, your RRSP, your property, and your residency timing interact with each other in ways that affect how much you pay to the CRA on the way out. A qualified advisor who works specifically in Canadian departure tax needs time to work with you. Find one before the 12-month mark if you can.
Run a departure tax estimate on your non-registered investments.
Canada treats departure as a deemed disposition. On the day you become a non-resident, the CRA considers that you sold most of your assets at fair market value - and taxes the gains. Knowing your exposure now gives you options: adjusting timing, considering strategic dispositions before departure, or setting aside reserves for the tax bill.
Choose 2 to 3 destination countries to research seriously.
Cast a wide net early, narrow it fast. Each destination has its own residency program, visa processing timeline, tax treaty relationship with Canada, and cost of living profile. Pick your top two or three and start learning how they work. This shapes nearly every other decision you make over the next year.
Track your RRSP contribution room and use it.
If you have unused RRSP contribution room and income to shield, use it before you leave. Once you become a non-resident, RRSP contributions are no longer beneficial in the same way, and your ability to make them ends. Your NOA (Notice of Assessment) shows your available room.
Start employer and employment transition planning.
If you are employed, your employer will need time to prepare for your departure - especially if your role involves benefits, stock options, vesting schedules, or pension contributions, all of which have different treatment at departure.
9 Months Out: Documents and Property
Apply for your RCMP police clearance certificate.
Many residency and visa programs require a police clearance certificate from your home country. The RCMP process takes several weeks on its own. If your destination requires an apostille, add more time. Do not leave this until six months out.
Get required medical exams.
A number of residency programs - particularly in Portugal, Spain, Mexico, and Panama - require medical exams as part of the application. Check your target country's requirements now so you are not scrambling to book appointments in a compressed timeline.
Research banking in your destination country.
Opening a bank account as a non-resident can be harder than expected. Some countries require proof of address, a local tax ID number, or in-person visits. Research your options now.
Make your property decision.
Sell, rent, or hold? Selling before departure triggers capital gains on any appreciated value; renting requires a non-resident withholding tax arrangement with the CRA; holding ties you to Canadian obligations. Your cross-border tax advisor needs to be part of this conversation.
Start collecting core documents.
Birth certificate, marriage or divorce certificates, academic credentials, the last three to five years of Canadian tax returns, financial statements, and proof of funds. Some of these require requesting from provincial registries and take weeks to arrive.
6 Months Out: Applications and Insurance
Apply for your visa or residency program.
Most residency programs have processing timelines of three to six months or longer. The six-month mark is when you should be submitting, not still deciding.
Model your RRSP drawdown strategy with your advisor.
Non-residents drawing down RRSPs are subject to withholding tax under Canada's non-resident rules, but treaty rates may reduce that rate depending on your destination country. Build the model now.
Notify your provincial health insurance of your departure.
Every province has different rules for health coverage during and after a departure. Most have a date on which coverage ends regardless of when you leave.
Set up international health insurance.
There is typically a gap between when your provincial coverage ends and when you are enrolled in any destination-country health system. Bridge that gap with international health coverage.
3 Months Out: Tax Filings and Logistics
File NR73 with the CRA if you want a formal non-residency determination. The complete departure checklist maps every step alongside this one.
The NR73 is covered in detail in the non-residency guide. It is a form that allows you to request a formal CRA opinion on whether you will be considered a non-resident for tax purposes. It provides certainty and can protect you from later disputes about your residency status.
Prepare your T1161 list.
If you hold property with a fair market value over $25,000 at the time of departure, you are required to file Form T1161 with the CRA listing that property.
Confirm your bank account in your destination country is open and funded.
You need a functional financial landing pad before you arrive.
Notify banks, investment accounts, CRA, and Service Canada.
Your Canadian financial institutions need to know you are becoming a non-resident. Failing to notify them can trigger compliance issues and withholding problems down the line.
1 Month Out: Final Checks
Confirm all paperwork is in order.
Visa approval confirmed. Tax filings prepared or filed. Property decisions executed. Documents collected and in hand.
Set up mail forwarding or a digital address service in Canada.
You will continue to receive correspondence in Canada for years after you leave. CRA notices, financial statements, legal mail.
Arrange direct deposit routing for Canadian income.
CPP, OAS, investment income, or any other Canadian income that will continue after departure needs to route to the right account.
Verify access to all financial accounts from abroad.
Log in to every account from a non-Canadian IP if you can simulate it. Some institutions flag international logins and lock accounts.
The Part That Changes Everything
The checklist above gives you the structure. But the specific actions that matter most for your departure depend on which province you are leaving, your asset mix, and your target destination.
The personalized version of this checklist - built around your province, your assets, your timeline, and your destination - is what the Departure Blueprint delivers.