Credit Lock (Quebec and Ontario only)
As of July 1, 2026, Ontario residents will join Quebec residents in having the right to lock or unlock their Equifax credit reports. A credit lock is a feature that helps Ontario and Quebec residents prevent lenders and other businesses from opening new or additional credit accounts in your name.
When you lock your Equifax credit report, Equifax will not deliver it or any derivative products (e.g. scores, information from your credit report, etc.) to lenders or other businesses that Equifax knows will use that information to establish new or additional credit obligations in your name. You will need to unlock your credit report to apply for new loans, increased credit limits, and other credit-related uses like contracts for a long-term lease of goods (e.g. car lease) or sequential services performed at a distance (e.g. cell phone contract). You may also need to unlock your credit report to renew your mortgage.
Equifax can only communicate a locked status when a lender or other business requests access to your credit report after you have locked it and when required by law to deliver the locked status. Equifax is required to inform a lender or other business that your credit report is locked when they request it for the following purposes:
- entering into a credit contract (e.g. new credit card, mortgage)
- extending or increasing credit (e.g. increasing the credit limit on an existing credit card or line of credit)
- entering into a long-term lease for goods (e.g. car lease)
- entering into a contract for sequential services performed at a distance (e.g. cell phone agreement)
Please note that lenders and other businesses may make credit decisions about you without requesting information from Equifax (e.g. requesting it from TransUnion or relying on previously obtained information before your Equifax credit report was locked).
To lock your Equifax credit report, you must have an active address in the province of Quebec or Ontario. If you need to update your address, you can call 1-866-828-5961 or complete and submit a Consumer Credit Report Update Form to Equifax.
If you have locked your Equifax credit report, you will have the option to temporarily unlock (suspend) for a short period of time (days, weeks, or months), after which the lock will reactivate. This suspension allows you to temporarily grant access to your report if you know you will be applying for new credit.
If you’re applying for a new cell phone, credit card, or increased line of credit, suspending your lock for a short period of time should be enough. If you’re buying a new car or home and applying for financing, the process could take a few weeks or longer. This may also be the case for mortgage renewals. Talk to your lending agent to find out how long their process is expected to take and set the time frame on your suspension accordingly.
Currently, the credit lock function is only available to residents of Quebec and Ontario. If you're a resident of Quebec or Ontario with your primary address in Quebec or Ontario, but your Equifax credit report does not reflect this information, please call 1-866-828-5961 to update your address.
As of February 1, 2023, consumers in Quebec have the right to lock their credit reports as a result of the Credit Assessment Agents Act in that province. As of July 1, 2026, consumers in Ontario have the right to lock their credit reports as a result of the Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act in that province.
When you lock your Equifax credit report online or by phone, the lock takes effect immediately. If a lender or other business then requests your credit report, we will promptly inform them that it is locked and not accessible for credit-related purposes. For mail-in requests, it can take up to five business days after your request is received at Equifax for the lock to be applied.
When your Equifax credit report is unlocked, Equifax will deliver your credit report to lenders and other credit grantors upon request in accordance with applicable legislation (see above “What is a credit lock” for more information). Be aware that lenders and other businesses may make credit decisions about you without requesting your Equifax credit report from us. For example, they may rely on information previously requested and received when your Equifax credit file was unlocked. Equifax isn’t liable for any action or inaction of lenders and other businesses that have been informed of a locked status on a credit report, or that have not requested access to your Equifax credit report after a credit lock has been activated.
Lenders may use their own databases to make a credit decision and may not send a new credit report request to Equifax. This means they could offer you a pre-approved credit product when your credit report is locked, or might not send you offers when your credit is unlocked, based on the information in their database. However, many pre-approved credit offers are conditional on a credit check (which you consent to by submitting the offer form), so your credit lock might prevent the offer from coming into effect even if you accept the offer.
When you lock your Equifax credit report, Equifax will not deliver it to any lenders or other businesses for the purposes of establishing new or additional credit obligations in your name. You will need to unlock your credit report to apply for new loans, increased credit limits, and other credit-related uses like contracts for a long term lease of goods (e.g. car lease) or sequential services performed at a distance (e.g. cell phone contract).
Equifax can only communicate a locked status when a lender or other business requests access to your credit report after you have locked it, and only when required by law to deliver the locked status (see above “What is a credit lock” for more information). Lenders and other businesses may make credit decisions about you without requesting information from Equifax (e.g. requesting it from TransUnion — the other nationwide credit reporting agency — or relying on previously obtained information before your Equifax credit report was locked).
It depends what you're applying for. Some credit transactions are processed quickly and others can take more time. If you're not sure, you can suspend your lock for a few days and talk to your lender to get a better idea of the amount of time the process will take.
Yes, a lock simply prevents access to your credit report for the purpose of granting credit. Existing creditors and their collection agencies can continue to contact you even if your Equifax credit report is locked.
No. You will need to contact TransUnion directly to lock or unlock your TransUnion credit report.
If the current address on your credit report is in Quebec or Ontario, you can lock your Equifax credit report. Once your credit report is locked, it will remain locked regardless of your current address until such time that you unlock your credit report.
It depends what you're applying for. Some credit transactions are processed quickly and others can take more time. If you're not sure, you can suspend your lock for a few days and talk to your lender to get a better idea of the amount of time the process will take.
No, Equifax does not charge you to lock or unlock your credit report.
No. The Equifax credit lock applies when the request for your information may result in new or additional credit obligations being established in your name. If the request for your Equifax credit report is unrelated to new or additional credit obligations, it will continue to be delivered to third parties in compliance with applicable legislation, even if your credit lock is activated. This includes when your Equifax credit report is requested by insurers, employers, landlords, debt collectors, and fraud investigators.
To lock your Equifax credit report, log into myEquifax anytime and follow these steps:
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Click Manage a lock on the dashboard widget in the top right or click Manage credit lock settings under your product features near the bottom of the page.
- You will be redirected to the Credit Lock section. To lock your Equifax credit report, click the red LOCK button
- You will be redirected to the lock page. To confirm you want to lock your Equifax credit report, click the red LOCK button.
- You will be redirected to a confirmation page, confirming that you have locked your Equifax credit report. You can click BACK TO DASHBOARD to return to the main dashboard page.
- Your dashboard will be updated with your current lock status.
To unlock your Equifax credit report, log into myEquifax anytime and follow these steps:
- Click Manage a lock on the dashboard widget in the top right or click Manage credit settings under your product features near the bottom of the page.
- You will be redirected to the Credit Lock section. To unlock your Equifax credit report, click the red UNLOCK button.
- You will be redirected to the unlock page. To confirm you want to unlock your Equifax credit report, click the red UNLOCK button.
- You will be redirected to a confirmation page, confirming you have unlocked your Equifax credit report. You can click BACK TO DASHBOARD to return to the main dashboard page.
- Your dashboard will be updated with your current unlocked status.
You can also call 1-866-828-5961, Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET and Sat-Sun 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ET, or fill out a form (Quebec form, Ontario form) and mail it to Equifax at Equifax Canada Co., National Consumer Relations, Box 190, Montreal, Quebec H1S 2Z2.
Be aware that lenders and other businesses may make credit decisions about you without requesting your Equifax credit report. They may rely on information previously requested and received when your Equifax credit file was unlocked. Equifax isn’t liable for any action or inaction of lenders and other businesses that have been informed of a locked status on a credit report, or that have not requested access to your Equifax credit report after a credit lock has been activated.
No. The Equifax credit lock applies when the request for your information may result in new or additional credit obligations being established in your name. If the request for your Equifax credit report is unrelated to new or additional credit obligations, it will continue to be delivered to third parties in compliance with applicable legislation, even if your credit lock is activated. This includes when your Equifax credit report is requested by insurers, employers, landlords, debt collectors, and fraud investigators.
Yes. A credit lock simply prevents access to your credit report for the purpose of granting credit. Equifax will continue to update your credit report based on the information it receives from lenders, creditors, collection agencies, government agencies, etc.
To place a lock on your Equifax credit report, you must pass identity verification and be a resident of Quebec or Ontario with a current residential address in Quebec or Ontario on your Equifax credit report. Credit locks can only be placed or unlocked by the individuals themselves or their Power of Attorney. Lenders or other third parties will not be able to lock or unlock an individual's credit report.
No. The Equifax credit lock applies when the request for your information may result in new or additional credit obligations being established in your name. If the request for your Equifax credit report is unrelated to new or additional credit obligations, it will continue to be delivered to third parties in compliance with applicable legislation, even if your credit lock is activated.
The first thing you should do is check your account to ensure that your Equifax credit report was locked at the time of the inquiry. Then consider if you have a relationship with and/or provided consent to the business whose information appears alongside the inquiry. If the relationship was established and your consent given before you locked your Equifax credit report, it is possible that this inquiry reflects a delay from the time your credit was requested and the inquiry being posted. You should call the number associated with the inquiry so that the data requester can give you more information about their processes. If you do not have a relationship with the requester and/or you do not believe you provided your consent before you locked your Equifax credit report, please complete and submit a Consumer Credit Report Update Form to Equifax.
Locking your credit report will not affect your credit scores since a locked or unlocked status is not included in credit score calculations. While your credit report is locked, financial institutions will continue reporting data about your accounts such as balances, payment history and other information. The data in your credit report will continue to be updated regardless of the presence of a credit lock. That means your credit scores will continue to be calculated despite your credit report being locked.
Currently, the right to lock or unlock your credit report only applies in Quebec and Ontario. If you locked your Equifax credit report while you were a resident of Quebec or Ontario, it will remain locked until you unlock it, even if you’ve moved outside of the province. Once you unlock your credit report completely, you will not be able to lock your credit report again unless you're residing in Quebec or Ontario and have an active address in either province.
A fraud alert is independent from locking your Equifax credit report, and both are distinct from one another. During the time an Equifax credit report is locked, Equifax cannot deliver your Equifax Credit Report to any lender or other businesses for the purposes of establishing or further extending credit in your name. Since an Equifax credit report must be unlocked to apply for or increase limits on loans, credit cards, mortgages, and other credit-related uses like contracts for a long-term lease of goods (e.g. car lease) or sequential services performed at a distance (e.g. cell phone contract), a fraud warning would provide an additional layer of protection during that period. There are certain instances where, even if your Equifax credit report is locked, Equifax may still deliver your Equifax credit report to a financial institution or a business, for example, when a background check for the purposes of employment is conducted, or when you apply to rent a home. In this case, if your Equifax credit report contains a fraud alert, it will appear on your Equifax credit report when it is delivered, also providing a layer of protection