Congratulations! You’ve prepared your protection mandate. Now, where to keep it?
Protection mandate prepared by you
Keep the original in a safe place, known to your mandatary, and give them a copy. A safe place is not a box of keepsakes in the attic, under your stack of bills, or on top of the fridge with the circulars. Keep your mandate with all your other important documents, for example, in a filing cabinet, a safe, or a safety deposit box at the bank, and let your mandatary know where it is.
You also need easy access to your mandate, since it’s recommended you review it every five years. This is because unforeseen events can directly affect your choice of mandatary, where you want to live, or how you want your assets to be managed, meaning you might need to rethink your mandate.
Don’t forget to tell your loved ones that you have a mandate and who your mandatary is. This will allow them to act faster in the event you become incapable due to an accident or an illness.
Protection mandate prepared with a lawyer or a notary
If a lawyer or a notary prepared your mandate, it will be registered online in the Registre des dispositions testamentaires et des mandats du Québec. The lawyer or notary will keep the original and give you a copy. You also need to keep this copy in a safe place and let your mandatary know where it is.
The advantage of registering your protection mandate is that it’s easier to trace if the paper copy gets lost. In the event you become incapable, your loved ones can search for it in the Chambre des notaires and Barreau du Québec registers, for a fee.
What if I don’t have a mandate? Don’t wait! Prepare yours today using the free form available from the Curateur public 
.
