Import and export clients as CSV

Answers are general operational information only — not legal, tax, regulatory, clinical, privacy, immigration, or professional advice. Requirements vary by matter, client, and regulator.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import my existing client list?

Yes. Export the list from your spreadsheet or CRM as a CSV file, then on My Clients choose Import CSV. Check the preview and import. Up to 2,000 clients per file.

Will my clients get an email when I import them?

No. Importing doesn't email anyone or create accounts. Nothing is sent to an imported client until you choose to send them something.

What happens to clients I already have?

A row whose email matches a client you already have is skipped, and so is a repeat of an email earlier in the same file. Existing clients are never changed by an import.

Does the import count against my plan?

Yes. Imported clients count like clients you add by hand. On Starter (50 clients), the preview shows how many fit. Rows beyond the limit are listed as over the limit and not imported.

Which columns can I import?

Name (or first and last name), email, phone, address, date of birth, notes, tags, source and status. Only the name is required. English and French column names are recognised, and you can change any match.

My file came from French Excel and uses semicolons. Will it work?

Yes. Comma, semicolon and tab files all work, including Excel's older Windows encoding, so accented names come through intact.

Can I export my data?

Yes. Export on My Clients gives you a CSV of all your clients, or of the document fields you confirmed with Read fields. Unconfirmed values are never exported.

More Features guides

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• Clients with a my-id.ca profile fill your forms fasterWhen a client keeps their details in a free my-id.ca profile, forms you send from hivi-x open already filled in, and the client's photo of an ID can feed that profile.
• Find any client, document or file in secondshivi-x search finds clients by name, email or phone, plus documents, files and templates, from the header on any page or from the Clients list.
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• Checklist due dates and overdue trackingSet a due date when you share a client checklist. The client sees it, you see an Overdue badge when it passes, and the automatic reminders are timed around it.
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• How hivi-x tracks deadlines: what's automatic and what you setA one-page answer to "does hivi-x track application deadlines?", covering what happens automatically, what you set yourself, and what isn't available yet.
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• hivi-x in French for Canadian businesseshivi-x works in French end to end, from the client portal and document checks to the AI chat and the French business documentation.
• Collecting documents from clients who don't read English wellPractical setup for newcomer and non-English-speaking clients in hivi-x, using the portal in their language, bilingual instructions, conditional items and phone uploads.
• Review client documents item by item: approve or send backIn hivi-x every client submission is reviewed per checklist item. Approve it, or send it back with a reason the client sees on that exact item.
• Client checklist status and progress: where each file standsEach client checklist in hivi-x shows its overall status, progress, due date and every item's review state, so you can see what's missing, what's waiting for you and what's done.
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• Duplicate document detection: catch the same file sent twiceNew guest-link and signed-in checklist uploads are checked for exact duplicates among that client’s recent uploads. A warning never rejects an upload.
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• Reuse client information, with the client in controlhivi-x lets information a client already gave, to you or to their own my-id.ca profile, flow into the next request. The client decides what to share each time.
• Repeat clients: one client, many filesIn hivi-x a client can have several cases (a lease this year, a purchase next year), each with its own checklists, documents and timeline, under one client record.
• Checklist templates and the template libraryBuild a document checklist once in hivi-x and reuse it for every client, or start from the curated template library and edit a copy.
• Standardize your document process across client filesHow to use hivi-x templates, required items, conditional items, due dates, reminders and review reasons so every client file follows the same standard.
• Industry starter checklists: send a real checklist on day oneNew hivi-x business accounts start with a ready-made checklist for their industry (real estate, mortgage, immigration or legal), which you can send immediately and edit to fit.
• Client activity timeline: who did what, and whenEvery hivi-x client page has a timeline recording shared checklists, client submissions, approvals, items sent back, signatures, document changes and co-agent access.
• Audit trail and record keepinghivi-x logs access to client data server-side and keeps those records for seven years. E-signatures carry their own event trail and certificate, and clients keep a sharing history.
• Know when a client submits: notifications for businesseshivi-x emails you each time a client uploads a file or completes a checklist item, and records it on the client's timeline. What you're told, and what you aren't yet.
• What your clients are notified aboutEvery email and in-app notice a client receives from hivi-x, from being added as a client to guest links, codes, reminders and signature requests, and what they aren't told.
• Chat with your clients inside hivi-xReal-time messaging between a business and its clients who have a my-id.ca account, opened from the client's page, with attachments, typing and unread indicators.
• Team workspaces and rolesInvite colleagues into one hivi-x workspace that shares your clients, checklists, templates and signature requests. Seats cost the plan price per person; owner, admin and staff roles decide who can do what.
• Assign clients to team membersShow who handles each client, filter the client list by person, and optionally limit staff to the clients assigned to them, with their checklists, uploads and signature requests.
• Teammate or co-agent: which to useA teammate is someone at your firm who takes a paid seat and works in your workspace. A co-agent is a partner at another firm who joins one client for free and sees only what you share.
• Team activity log and CSV exportThe owner and admins of a hivi-x workspace can see who did what, including sign-ins and client uploads, filter it by date and person, and export it as CSV.
• Webhooks: send hivi-x events to your other systemshivi-x sends a signed HTTPS request to your endpoint when a client is added, a checklist item is submitted or reviewed, a checklist is completed, fields are confirmed or a signature request is finished.
• Connect hivi-x to Zapier, Make or n8nUse hivi-x webhooks as the trigger in Zapier, Make or n8n: add a new client to your CRM, post to Slack when a checklist is complete, or copy confirmed income figures to a spreadsheet.
• hivi-x for Zapier: triggers, actions and setupConnect hivi-x to Zapier: send a checklist when a CRM deal moves, add clients from web forms, and post to Slack when a checklist is complete. Every business plan.
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• Verify webhook signaturesCheck the Hivi-Signature header on every hivi-x webhook: an HMAC-SHA256 of the timestamp and raw body, made with the endpoint's signing secret. Examples in Node.js and Python.
• Expiry and renewal alerts for client documentshivi-x tracks when the passports, permits, licences and policies your clients sent expire, emails you 90, 30 and 7 days ahead, and asks the client for a renewed copy in one click.
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• Read fields from a client's pay stub, T4, NOA or passportAsk hivi-x to read a client's uploaded pay stub, T4, notice of assessment, bank statement summary or passport into fields. You check and confirm every value against the document.