What should you take if you leave your spouse?

If you've decided to leave your spouse, you should take certain important documents and belongings when you go:

• Your financial information. For example:
  • your tax returns for at least the past three years
  • bank account, credit card, investment, and debt statements
  • copies of recent pay stubs
• Your BC Services Card or CareCard (if it's not part of your driver's licence)
• Your marriage certificate (if you're married)
• Your passport and any immigration papers
• Your Secure Certificate of Indian Status (secure status card) or Certificate of Indian Status (status card) (if you're a member of a First Nation)
• Your medications and prescriptions
• Your clothing and personal belongings
• If you have children and you're taking them with you, their:
  • birth certificates
  • BC Services Cards or CareCards
  • passports
  • Secure Certificate of Indian Status (secure status card) or Certificate of Indian Status (status card) (if they're members of a First Nation)
  • medications and prescriptions
  • clothing and personal belongings

Try to bring:

• Photocopies of information about any income and assets that are in your spouse's name only. For example, your spouse's:
  • pay stubs
  • tax returns
  • company records and ledgers
  • bank accounts
  • investments, TFSAs, and RRSPs
• Details about your spouse's
  • Social Insurance Number
  • BC Services Card or CareCard number
  • date of birth

These details about your spouse might help later if:

• you disagree about money and property, or
• you lose contact with your spouse and need to find them.