Applying for life and critical illness insurance

• The Client needs to legally live in Canada to be eligible for our life insurance products.
• You can meet with the Client using either of the following methods:
  • Meeting in person: This is the only method considered a face-to-face meeting.
  • Meeting virtually: You can meet with the Client using a video conferencing platform (e.g. Zoom, Skype etc.). These meetings are considered non face-to-face, as you’re not physically meeting with the Client in person.
    • Life underwriting requirements
    • Critical illness insurance underwriting requirements

Go digital! Use our Sun eApp to apply for new business applications, replacement and conversion applications or exercising an option. Review the following charts to determine if your Client may qualify for instant approval, or straight-through underwriting, by submitting through the Sun eApp.

Life

Critical illness

To learn more about steps to take before applying for a Conversion or Internal Replacement using the Sun eApp, click here.

Additional information, instructions, and tips and tricks, are available in the Sun eApp Checklist.

Review our:

• Administrative requirements by product
• Conversion and replacement guidelines

Glossary of acronyms

POD – payment on delivery
TIC – temporary insurance coverage
PAC – pre-authorized chequing
AML – anti-money laundering
ATF – anti-terrorist financing

Permanent and Universal Life insurance:

To comply with anti-money laundering legislation and regulatory requirements:

• applications completed in person (face-to-face), need verification of identity completed using the Government issued Photo ID or Dual Process methods.
• applications completed virtually (non face-to-face), need verification of identity completed using the Dual Process method only.

Life coverage

• Underwriting requirements for life insurance
• Our life underwriting process
• Non-medical underwriting requirements

Critical Illness coverage

• Underwriting requirements for critical illness insurance
• Our critical illness underwriting process

Instant approval

By using Sun eApp, the Client may qualify for instant approval. If the application qualifies for instant approval, we’ll let you know on the ‘Interview selection’ screen. When you choose to complete the non-medical questions, you’ll find out on the ‘Requirements’ screen if the Client is instantly approved. Review the Instant approval eligibility for more details.

Labs

• Insurance application paramedical exam and lab tests guide
• Insurance Application and Paramedical Exam and Lab Tests Guide (Chinese)

Tele-interview for Life and Critical Illness

Tele-interviews can make it easier and faster to do business with Sun Life.

There are many situations where the tele-interview option can help both you and the Client. For example:

• A tele-interview, plus the collection of vitals, can replace a paramedical.
• It's an alternative to completing the personal evidence section of the application when there is extensive medical or lifestyle history.
• It makes it easier for the Client to share sensitive information.

Our tele-interview team will gather information from the Client over the phone.

For more information:

• share our tele-interview preparation material with Clients.

• Consent to Share: Within the application, the Client can choose whether to grant permission to share medical information with their advisor in the Consent to Share section. If the Client does not provide consent, you will not be able to use the PDF version of the settle documents posted on the secure site to settle the policy because evidence pages are not included
• Temporary Insurance Certificate (TIC): If applicable, you need to add Temporary Insurance Coverage before you've submitted the application.
  • Please review Temporary Insurance Coverage with the Client during your meeting. For paper applications, you can sign the certificate and mail, fax, or e-mail a copy to the Client. Please keep a record of the exchange.
• Review the frequently asked questions about our Sun eApp.

• How to send us documents digitally (video)
• Send for eSign: You can send requests to Clients for digital signatures using Send for eSign when the application or policy is in-progress or in-force. You can find more information, and a list of forms that are available, in our Sun eApp FAQs.
• Third party platforms: You can also use our approved digital signature platforms:
  • DocuSign
  • AdobeSign
  • OneSpan
  • iGeny
  • Dropbox Sign

Please share the documents that you send to us with your firm. This will ensure that you and your firm have records of the business you have with Sun Life.

You can send us documents by:

• Mail:
  Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada
  227 King Street South
  PO Box 1601 Station Waterloo
  Waterloo, ON
  N2J 4C5
  300B25
• Courier: 
  Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada
  227 King Street South
  Waterloo, Ontario 
  N2J 1R2
• Email: Wholesale.New.Business@sunlife.com
• Fax : 1-866-693-0324

Applications are normally posted to the Suncentral within 2 business days.

For documents related to a pending application (e.g. delivery and settle requirements):

• Please send them through the Suncentral to ensure they get to the right place.
• You need to provide copies of all documents to your firm.

For paper applications

You can use these paper applications to submit new business, replacement and conversions and exercising options:

Rapid Application (fillable) / Rapid Application (810-2815) (paper)
Application for life and/or critical illness insurance (810-2799)
Application to submit conversions

Meeting with Clients Non-face-to-face while using the paper application:

• Send a copy of the application to the Client via fax, mail, or secure email link and ensure they have a printed copy available for your discussion
• Complete the application with the Client

For Permanent and Universal Life insurance:

• Use video chat (e.g. Zoom, Skype, FaceTime) to verify their email address and review/complete an application with the Client.
• To comply with anti-money laundering legislation and regulatory requirements, verification of identity must be completed via video chat using the Dual Process method.
• If you’re unable to meet with the Client via video chat, a 4355 form must be completed by an agent or mandatary for VOI and AML purposes.

For Term and Critical illness:

• The preferred method is to meet with the Client is by video chat. In exceptional circumstances, the application can be completed over the phone.
• The Client must sign and send the signature page of the application, the signature page of the illustration, and any other required documents back to you via fax, mail, or secure email link. You can scan and send an image of any documents that will be included in the policy page booklet (e.g. a signature page). Scanned documents must be in PDF format.
• The scanned signature page returned by the Client will become the official record. We ask that you or your firm keep original documents. You are not currently required to submit both the scanned and original documents.
• Ensure that the "Special Instructions" section states that the application was completed using the non face-to-face process.
• Send the completed and signed application with any supporting documents back to your firm via fax, mail, or secure email link.

Clients can use an existing application to apply for a new Critical Illness Insurance (CII), term, universal or participating life insurance policy. This is an option if:

• the owner, insured, and payor are the same as listed on the original application, and
• the original application is still in underwriting or has an original signature date within the past 6 months*.

Temporary insurance coverage is only available through a fully completed new application.

Apply for a new CII application using an existing life application

Submit a request to your Case Manager on behalf of the Client that confirms they're interested in additional coverage, and the details of your conversation about their needs. Please also include:

• an illustration with the exact coverage the Client wants,
• confirmation that the owner, insured, and payor have not changed,
• the beneficiary for CII benefits, and
• additional age or amount requirements (if applicable).

Our New Business team will use this information to see if they can set up the new policy. Underwriting will also review for medical and financial suitability. At delivery of the policy, there are a series of amendments the Client will sign, including that their insurability hasn't changed.

Before delivery and settlement:

• You're required to give the Client a copy of the Guide to critical illness definitions – Sun Critical Illness Insurance (44-page booklet). This document gives the Client definitions for each of the illnesses covered. It must be given to every Client who purchases a Sun CII policy.
• To complete the settlement, the applicant will sign and date the delivery requirements with the new amendments.

Apply for a new life policy using an existing CII or life application

Submit a request to your Case Manager on behalf of the applicant that confirms they're interested in additional coverage, with the details of your conversation about their protection needs. Please also include:

• an illustration with the exact coverage(s) the Client wants,
• confirmation that the owner, insured, and payor have not changed,
• additional age or amount requirements (if applicable),
• confirmation of the policy beneficiary, and
• for participating and universal life insurance, you'll need to complete the Anti-Money Laundering requirements before issue.

Before delivery and settlement:

• To complete the settlement, the applicant will sign and date the delivery requirements with the new amendments

• Checking on pending applications (video)