How to Write a Will in New Brunswick
Write a will in New Brunswick under the Wills Act — the formal will with two witnesses, the holograph will, naming an executor, and what the executor files for probate.
New Baby in Canada Checklist
The paperwork for a new baby in Canada, in order: register the birth, apply for the Canada Child Benefit, get a provincial health card, sort out time off work, and set up the longer-term pieces, each linked to the guide that walks through it.
Applies in: CA
The short answer
Register the birth, then work down this list. The birth certificate is the document the other steps ask for, and birth registration is also where two other applications start: the Canada Child Benefit, if you consent to share information with the CRA, and the baby's Social Insurance Number, through the province's Newborn Registration Service. Everything else on this list — the health card, time off work, childcare, the RESP, the will, the passport, kindergarten — is a separate step with its own guide, linked below.
This checklist states no benefit amounts, no fees, and no processing times. The linked guides carry their own figures, verified on the official pages they cite. This page is the list itself, in order, with the route behind each item.
The checklist, in order
Work down this list and check each item off only when the step is done.
What this checklist does not cover
This checklist has no Social Insurance Number item of its own, because the site's SIN guide is written for newcomers applying for their own SIN and does not walk through a newborn's SIN application. The newborn route is stated in the first item instead, from the official Service Canada page: the Newborn Registration Service in the provinces, Service Canada directly in the territories.
This checklist also states no processing times of its own. The linked guides state the times their official pages publish — the birth certificate guide states delivery times by province, the CCB guide states its application times, the OHIP guide states the card mailing time — and those times change, so this page does not repeat them. Recheck the linked guide on the day you apply.
Related guides
- How to Apply for the Canada Child Benefit — the three application routes, who can apply, how the amount is worked out, and what to report and when.
- How to Start Getting a Birth Certificate in Canada — the registration-before-certificate rule, the online, mail, and in-person routes, and worked examples for Ontario and British Columbia.
- How to Apply for EI Maternity and Parental Benefits — the two benefits at a glance, who qualifies, standard or extended, and the six application steps.
- How to Open an RESP and Claim the Government Grants — the SINs needed, the Canada Education Savings Grant, the Canada Learning Bond, and how withdrawals work.
- How to Make a Will in Canada — how a will is made in Canada, starting with your own province's rules, and what makes a will valid.
Work the list in order, in five moves
- Register the birth firstThe birth certificate is the document the other steps ask for, and birth registration is also where the Canada Child Benefit application and the baby's SIN start.
- Apply for the Canada Child BenefitConsent when you register the birth, apply through CRA My Account, or mail Form RC66. The benefit does not start on its own except through the birth-registration route.
- Get the baby a provincial health cardOntario's OHIP infant registration starts at the hospital or with the midwife. Every province runs its own card, so use your own province's route.
- Sort out time off workEI maternity and parental benefits are the federal route, with a four-week application deadline. Quebec runs its own plan, QPIP, instead.
- Set up the longer-term piecesChildcare help, an RESP once the baby has a SIN, a will, a passport only if you plan to travel, and kindergarten registration when the time comes.
Questions people ask
Does registering the birth apply for the Canada Child Benefit for me?
Only if you consent to share information with the CRA when you register the birth. That consent is the first of the three routes in our [Canada Child Benefit guide](/guides/how-to-apply-for-the-canada-child-benefit/). If you do not give it, apply online through CRA My Account or mail [Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/forms/rc66.html). The benefit does not start on its own outside the birth-registration route.
Does my baby need a Social Insurance Number, and how do we get one?
Yes, eventually — an RESP cannot be opened for the child without one, and the child needs a SIN for the education grants. In the provinces, you apply for the baby's SIN through the province's Newborn Registration Service while you register the birth, as long as the child is under one year old and the birth has not been registered yet. The service is not in the territories: there, you apply for the child's SIN directly through Service Canada. That is the [Service Canada SIN page](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/apply.html), opened November 8, 2026.
How does the health card work for a newborn?
It depends on the province. In Ontario, if your baby was born in a hospital with birthing facilities or with a registered midwife, the hospital or midwife gives you the Ontario Health Coverage Infant Registration form, and the card is mailed to you. Our [OHIP health card guide](/guides/how-to-get-an-ohip-health-card-in-ontario/) walks through that step and the in-person route for babies born elsewhere in Ontario. Other provinces run their own card and their own application, so use your province's health ministry page.
Can I open an RESP before the baby has a SIN?
No. Our [RESP guide](/guides/how-to-open-an-resp-and-claim-government-grants/) states that a promoter needs a Social Insurance Number for yourself and one for the child before the plan can be opened and the grants applied for. Get the SIN through the birth-registration step first, then open the plan.
We live outside Ontario. Does this checklist still work?
Most of it does. Birth registration, the Canada Child Benefit, EI maternity and parental benefits, the RESP, the will, and the passport are national processes, and the linked guides cover them for all of Canada. Two items use a worked example from one place: the health card item links to Ontario's OHIP guide, and the kindergarten item links to Toronto registration. Outside those places, use your own province's health card route and your own school board's registration.
Do I need to update my will now that we have a baby?
This checklist does not tell you what your will should say — that is a decision for you, and for a lawyer if you want one. What it does is point you at the process: our [will guide](/guides/how-to-make-a-will-in-canada/) walks through how a will is made in Canada, starting with your own province's rules, and what happens to a will that does not follow them. Work through that guide and decide from there.
Sources
- Service Canada, Social Insurance Number — Apply — the 9-digit number, when to apply, who can apply, and the newborn registration section: under one year old, birth unregistered, Newborn Registration Service in all provinces, Service Canada directly in the territories. Opened November 8, 2026.
- Canada Revenue Agency, Who can apply — Canada child benefit (CCB) — the eligibility conditions for the Canada Child Benefit.
- Canada Revenue Agency, Booklet T4114, Canada Child Benefit — the three application routes, the birth-registration consent route, Form RC66, and the yearly tax-return requirement.
- Government of Ontario, Get or replace an Ontario birth certificate — the certificate types, the online, in-person, and mail routes, and who can apply.
- Government of Canada, EI maternity and parental benefits: What these benefits offer — the maternity and parental benefit table, the locked standard-or-extended choice, and the Quebec QPIP note.
- Government of Canada, EI maternity and parental benefits: Apply — the four-week application deadline and the six application steps.
- Government of Canada, Open a Registered Education Savings Plan and apply for benefits — no bank account needed to open an RESP, the SINs needed, the promoter types, and the steps to open the plan and apply for the grants.
- Government of Canada, Passport and travel document fees increase soon — the March 31, 2026 fee change for applications made within Canada, including the child passport fee.
- Toronto District School Board, Kindergarten Frequently Asked Questions — age cut-offs, who can register, documents, and before- and after-school programs.