By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta
You do not need to be in Alberta to buy property in Calgary. Your lawyer verifies your identity by ID verification software under Law Society of Alberta rules, emails you the documents, you sign in front of the lawyer over a video meeting where you live and if necessary courier the originals back. Real estate documents bound for Land Titles still require original ink signatures, so the three things that push out-of-province closings past the possession date are identity verification, courier transit, and the timing of your funds. However, in many cases documents can be fully e-signed.
Calgary attracts a steady flow of buyers who have never set foot in the city: people relocating from Ontario and British Columbia, investors, parents buying for a student, Albertans who moved away and are coming back.
Buying from a distance is routine. It fails only when nobody builds the extra steps into the calendar. Here is the whole sequence.
Can you buy a home in Calgary without being here?
Yes. Nothing in Alberta law requires a buyer to attend in person. Your lawyer can open the file, review the contract, search title, deal with the lender, and close the transaction while you are anywhere in the world. However, some lenders will specifically say you must still be in Canada.
What cannot be skipped is identity verification and some files require original signatures on the documents that go to Land Titles. Some law offices, such as ours, use an electronic system called ALTO that allows for e-signatures on many documents that go to Land Titles.
How does identity verification work when you are not in the room?
Law Society of Alberta rules require your lawyer to identify and verify every client, and verification is stricter than a photocopy of a licence. For a client who cannot attend, verification is typically done over live video where the lawyer can see and hear you, with your government-issued photo identification in hand and using special ID verification software, or through an authorized agent in your city who examines the original document on the lawyer’s behalf.
Alternatively, the Law Society of Alberta’s dual-process ID authentication method verifies identity using information from two reliable, independent sources confirming the individual’s name together with their address, date of birth, or financial account. Ex. driver licence and gas bill.
Have valid, unexpired identification ready. An expired passport or a licence with an old address can cause delays in the process and with mortgage funding.
Where do you sign?
Often your lawyer couriers or emails you the signing package, you print the documents and meet your lawyer by video to sign the documents so that the lawyer is acting as the witness.
- Elsewhere in Canada you can also sign in front of a lawyer or notary public in your province.
- Outside Canada you can sign before a notary public in that country, or at a Canadian embassy or consulate. However, some lenders will not allow a buyer to sign a mortgage if they are located outside of Canada. You must confirm this with your lender and lawyer to avoid delays.
Bring the same identification you used for verification. The witness confirms that the person who signed is the person on the identification, and a mismatch sends the package back.
Can you sign electronically?
Not for everything, but more than most people (and even lawyers!) realize. Traditionally all lawyers submitted hard copy documents with original wet-ink signatures to the Land Titles Office. However, in about 2018 Alberta introduced the Alberta Land Titles Online (ALTO) system which enabled the electronic creation and submission of documents to Alberta’s Land Titles Registry.
Under the ALTO system some documents have to be signed by ink, scanned and uploaded, but some can be signed by fully digital signatures which avoids printing altogether. At Integrity Legal Solutions we use ALTO for all our submissions and aim to cut down on printing whenever possible.
Unfortunately the vast majority of real estate lawyers in Alberta still use the traditional system of submitting documents, if you are selling a home your lawyer needs to provide originally signed documents to the buyer’s lawyer.
Both ALTO and the traditional system are being replaced by the Alberta Registry for Land Online (ARLO) platform by the end of 2026, which will make all submissions electronic but some documents will still require original signatures.
How do you get the money to your lawyer?
Your down payment and closing funds must be in the lawyer’s trust account, cleared, before possession. Not sent. Cleared.
- Wire transfer is the usual route from another province or another country. Confirm the wire details by phone with the office, using a number you looked up independently, before sending anything.
- Bank drafts can take several business days to clear and you should check with your law firm if this is a good option. At Integrity Legal Solutions we receive funds by bank drafts direct-deposited into our trust account. And our relationship with our bank allows us to clear the draft same day.
- Funds arriving from outside Canada may attract additional source-of-funds documentation. Ask early what your lawyer will need.
Never act on wire instructions that arrive by email alone, even from a familiar address. Real estate closings are a standing target for payment redirection fraud, and a misdirected wire is rarely recoverable.
What is different if you are not a resident of Canada?
Buying is largely the same. Selling is where non-residency changes the mechanics: on a later sale, a portion of the sale price is generally held back until the Canada Revenue Agency issues a clearance certificate. Financing terms, down payment requirements, and identification requirements are also stricter for non-residents. If you are not a Canadian resident, tell your lawyer and your accountant at the beginning of the file.
What happens on possession day when you are not here?
Keys are typically released through your real estate agent once funds and trust conditions are satisfied. Arrange in advance for someone to attend the property: your agent, a property manager, a family member. Book the walkthrough for a time when you can be reached by phone, and agree ahead of time who has authority to raise a problem on your behalf.
Can you sign estate documents remotely too?
Yes, and this is now permanent rather than a pandemic measure. Alberta amended the Wills and Succession Act, the Powers of Attorney Act, and the Personal Directives Act to allow wills, enduring powers of attorney, and personal directives to be executed remotely. One of the witnesses must be an active member of the Law Society of Alberta and must be the lawyer who advised on the documents. Signatures still have to be in ink, and each party signs and initials identical copies over video, which are then combined.
If you are buying in Calgary and your estate documents are out of date, the two can often be handled in the same file.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I start?
As soon as the contract is firm. Two weeks before possession is comfortable. One week is tight once you add courier transit in both directions.
Can someone sign for me under a power of attorney?
Sometimes. A properly drafted power of attorney can authorize another person to sign, but lenders often refuse to fund on a power of attorney, and Land Titles has its own requirements. Confirm with both your lawyer and your lender before relying on it.
Is a commissioner for oaths enough, or do I need a notary?
It depends on the document. A commissioner can administer an oath; a notary can also certify copies and produce certificates recognized outside the province. Ask your lawyer which each page requires before you book.
Will it cost more than a local closing?
Modestly. Expect courier charges and the fee charged by the lawyer or notary who witnesses your signature where you live. The legal fee itself is usually unchanged.
Can I do the same thing selling from out of province?
Yes, with the same identity verification and the same couriered package. Sellers should confirm early whether dower consent is required, since a spouse in another city adds another signing appointment to the schedule.
Talk to Lev
Call (403) 466-6580 or email Lev@integrity-legal.ca. We close real estate transactions all across Alberta, with same-week turnarounds when timelines are tight.
Lev Kramar is the principal lawyer at Integrity Legal Solutions. He focuses on residential and commercial real estate, with a particular interest in leasehold and new-build closings, including transactions at Taza on Tsuut’ina Nation land. Integrity Legal Solutions serves clients across Alberta, with a reputation for fast funds movement and direct, plain-language communication.
Phone: (403) 466-6580 · Email: Lev@integrity-legal.ca · 1550 5 St SW #300, Calgary, AB T2R 1K3
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