Mail Forwarding Services for Canadian Expats: Keeping Your Address Without Being There

ShipMyMail is specifically designed for Canadians abroad and is the most commonly recommended among Canadian expat communities. It provides a Canadian address (not a US address), scans incoming mail so you can view it digitally, and forwards physical packages to your Mexican address on request. The Canadian address is important for CRA correspondence, Revenue Canada notices, T4 slips, investment account statements, and other government documents that Canadian institutions expect to reach a Canadian address. Cost is $15–$50 CAD/month depending on mail volume. An alternative many Canadian expats use: a family member's Canadian address for critical mail, with verbal or email forwarding of anything time-sensitive. This is free but depends on the family member's reliability.

Yes — if you are becoming a tax non-resident of Canada (living abroad for an extended period with no intention to return within a few months), you are required to file a departure return with CRA for the year you left. The departure return reports your worldwide income up to your departure date and triggers various tax consequences: your RRSP is not affected (continues to grow tax-deferred), but your TFSA should receive no more contributions after non-residency begins (the room does not accumulate while you are a non-resident). Non-resident withholding tax (typically 25%, reduced to 15–25% under applicable tax treaties) applies to Canadian-source income including RRSP withdrawals and rental income from Canadian property. Most Canadians retiring abroad use a Canadian accountant for the departure year return — it is complex and getting it wrong creates future CRA problems.

Generally yes — most major Canadian banks (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC) allow existing accounts to remain open when you become a non-resident, though they may restrict new account opening. They require a current address on file — which can be a forwarding service address or a family member's address. Some banks require notification of non-resident status under FINTRAC and anti-money laundering rules, and may ask you to sign a non-resident declaration. Online banking continues normally. The practical importance of maintaining a Canadian bank account: receiving CPP and OAS direct deposits, managing Canadian investment accounts, paying Canadian obligations (property taxes if you still own Canadian property, any remaining Canadian bills), and having a Canadian dollar account for visits home.

Provincial health insurance rules vary, but most provinces have minimum presence requirements. Ontario's OHIP requires 153 days (5 months) in Ontario per year. British Columbia's MSP requires 6 months minimum presence. Alberta's AHCIP requires 183 days. Quebec's RAMQ has a 183-day presence requirement. If you spend more than 6–7 months outside your province, you should expect your provincial health coverage to lapse. You should notify your provincial health authority of your extended absence — they will tell you when coverage ends and what to do. Do not assume you are covered on your annual Canadian visit if you have been absent for 8+ months. The solution for the coverage gap: comprehensive international health insurance (Cigna Global, Bupa International) or specialized expat health insurance provides coverage during your non-Canadian residency period.

CRA accepts a current Canadian address for correspondence purposes — whether that address is your own home, a family member's home, or a mail forwarding service. The important distinction: using a Canadian address does not make you a Canadian tax resident. CRA determines residency based on the residential ties test (where you live, where your family lives, where your social connections and property are) — not just the address on your return. A Canadian expat who owns a Mexican condo, has their family in Mexico, and uses a Canadian mail forwarding service address for CRA correspondence is almost certainly a non-resident of Canada for tax purposes. The address is for correspondence only. File as a non-resident with appropriate disclosure.

Your TFSA remains open when you become a non-resident, but you cannot make new contributions while you are a non-resident — each year you are a non-resident, you lose that year's contribution room (the room does not accumulate). Existing TFSA balances can remain in the account and investments can grow tax-free within the account even as a non-resident. However, withdrawals from a TFSA by a non-resident may trigger withholding tax in the foreign country where you are resident (the foreign country, not Canada, taxes the withdrawal — Canada does not withhold on TFSA withdrawals). When you return to Canada and resume residency, your TFSA contribution room resumes accumulating. The key mistake to avoid: making TFSA contributions from abroad while non-resident — CRA charges a 1% per month penalty on excess contributions made as a non-resident.