Overview

• The province will add a mandatory 'CAN' citizenship code to driver’s licences and ID cards, with no marker for non‑citizens, and applicants will have to present proof of citizenship or immigration status; no visual mockup has been released.
• Legislation will be tabled this fall, with a phased rollout beginning in late 2026 as part of a broader redesign that will also place Alberta health‑care numbers on licences.
• Premier Danielle Smith and Minister Dale Nally say the move will simplify applications for student aid, health benefits and disability supports and help verify voter eligibility; Nally says Ottawa lacks a single authoritative citizenship data source.
• Elections Alberta reports only four letters of reprimand for ineligible voting since 2015, and Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner says the government must clearly justify the purpose and privacy trade‑offs before proceeding.
• Civil‑liberties and immigration experts warn the visible marker—and its absence for non‑citizens—could enable profiling and face Charter scrutiny; Alberta would be the first province to require such markers, whereas past enhanced licences elsewhere were optional and discontinued.