A hard inquiry appears on your credit report when a lender pulls your file in response to a credit application. Inquiries stay visible for up to 3 years and have a small, temporary scoring impact. Most are legitimate. Some are not, and the illegitimate ones should come off your report.
For the overall dispute framework, see how to dispute errors on your Canadian credit report.
Hard vs Soft Inquiries in Canada
A hard inquiry happens when a lender checks your credit as part of an application for credit. Examples: a mortgage application, a car loan, a credit card application, or a line of credit request. Hard inquiries are visible to other lenders and affect your score.
A soft inquiry happens when a lender pre-screens you for an offer, when you check your own credit, or when an existing creditor reviews your account. Soft inquiries are not visible to other lenders and do not affect your score.
Only hard inquiries appear in the disputable section of your credit report. If you see something in the "Account Review Inquiries" or "Promotional Inquiries" section and wonder if it should come off, it is almost certainly a soft inquiry that is not affecting your score.
What Counts as Unauthorized
Three situations make a hard inquiry disputable.
You never applied for credit with that lender. This is the clearest case. If the inquiry name is unfamiliar and you did not authorize anyone to apply on your behalf, that inquiry is unauthorized.
You applied but only for a pre-qualification. Under Canadian rules, pre-qualifications should generate a soft inquiry, not a hard one. If a lender ran a hard pull during a pre-qualification, that is a reporting error.
The lender pulled your file after a denial. Some lenders will pull your file, deny you, and then pull it again if you re-apply or if they re-evaluate. The second pull may not be authorized and may be disputable.
Duplicates also happen. A single application can occasionally generate two hard inquiries from the same lender. One is legitimate; the other is a duplicate and removable.
Before You Dispute: Contact the Creditor
For unauthorized inquiries, the fastest path is sometimes not a bureau dispute but a direct call to the creditor. The creditor can remove their own inquiry from the bureau immediately, whereas a bureau dispute takes 30 days.
Call the creditor's customer service number. Ask for the "credit reporting" or "adverse action" team. Tell them you see a hard inquiry on your file that you did not authorize and ask them to remove it. Have the inquiry date and the account number (if you have one) ready.
If the creditor agrees to remove it, ask for written confirmation (an email or letter). Keep that confirmation in case the inquiry does not actually drop off.
If the creditor refuses or claims the inquiry was authorized, move to the bureau dispute.
Filing the Dispute with Equifax
In the myEquifax dispute portal, select "Inquiry" as the dispute type. Pick the specific inquiry from the list of items currently on your report.
In the description, state the dispute clearly. Example: "I never applied for credit with [lender name]. I did not authorize this inquiry on [date]. Please remove it from my report."
Upload supporting evidence if you have any. This might include correspondence with the creditor denying authorization, or a police report if you suspect identity theft. If you have no documents, the statement itself still counts.
For the full portal walkthrough, see how to dispute with Equifax Canada online.
If You Suspect Identity Theft
Unauthorized inquiries are a common first sign of identity theft. If you see more than one unauthorized inquiry, or if you also see accounts you do not recognize, treat this as identity theft and follow the escalation path in credit repair after identity theft in Canada and disputing fraudulent accounts from identity theft.
The immediate steps include placing a 6-year fraud alert with both bureaus, filing a police report, and contacting every creditor that has run your file recently.
How Long Inquiries Take to Drop Off
Hard inquiries are visible on your Canadian credit report for up to 3 years. Their impact on your score is much shorter: most of the effect fades within 6 to 12 months, and by 24 months the inquiry has essentially no scoring impact.
If you are within 6 months of applying for a mortgage or a major loan, keeping unauthorized inquiries off your file matters for approval. If you are further out, the scoring benefit of removal is smaller, but removal still counts for accuracy.
For the full timeline, see how long does a hard inquiry stay on your credit report in Canada.
When to Get Help
A single unauthorized inquiry is a DIY dispute. Multiple unauthorized inquiries, or inquiries tied to a broader identity-theft pattern, are where professional help pays off. We coordinate disputes across both bureaus, file fraud alerts, and work with creditors on your behalf.
Call (437) 755-6579 for a free consultation. Flat fee, 8 languages, no monthly payments.