Passports
Any Canadian citizen is eligible for a Canadian passport. The following outlines the steps required to obtain a passport for a Canadian living in Canada. Please refer to the main page of the Passport Canada web site if you are a Canadian living outside of Canada. To ensure your application is processed in a timely fashion, please be sure to submit all the necessary documents with your application.
If you are a first time application or if your passport has expired 6 or more years ago:
- Sign and complete all pages of the application form. (Find out where to obtain application forms).
- Provide two identical passport photos taken within the last 12 months.
- Have the application form and one photo signed by an eligible guarantor.
- Provide original proof of Canadian citizenship.
- Provide any previous Canadian travel document issued to you within the last five years such as a passport, a certificate of identity or a travel document.
- Provide at least one document to support your identity with your current name and signature, such as a driver’s license, a provincial health care card, an old age security card, etc.
- If you submit original supporting documents, they will be returned to you. If you are submitting photocopies, your guarantor must sign and date the photocopies to indicate that the originals have been seen.
- Your place of birth must be provided on the application form. If you do not wish the place of birth to appear in the passport, submit a written request. Be sure to contact the consulate or embassy of every country you plan to visit to ensure that you will be admitted if the passport does not include your place of birth.
- Pay the appropriate passport fee.
If you are renewing a passport that was issued less than 6 years ago, you may be eligible for a Simplified Renewal. To be eligible for a simplified renewal:
- you must have been at least 16 years of age at the time of your previous application;
- your name on the application form is exactly as it appears on page 2 of the submitted passport;
- you submit a previous Canadian passport that:
- is a regular (blue) passport that was/is valid for five (5) years;
- is not damaged;
- was never reported lost or stolen; and
- Either was issued to you in Canada (see issuing authority on page 2 of the passport) and is valid or expired for no more than one year;
- Or, was issued to you outside of Canada (see issuing authority on page 2 of the passport) after April 30, 2006.
- Complete the Simplified Renewal application.
- With the Simplified Renewal Application Process, you can apply in person in Canada at any Passport Canada service location or by mail in Canada or from the United States.
- The processing times are the same for all types of applications.
- *The new photos do not need to be signed by anyone. However, the name and address of the photographer or studio, as well as the date the photos were taken, must be provided on the back of one photo.
Please indicate the date of your travel (if known) in the “Date of Travel” field provided at the top of the application form. The issuing office will do its best to accommodate your needs.
IMPORTANT NOTICE (July 2012): Passport Canada Standardizes Applications for All Families
As of October 1, 2012, applications for a child’s passport will require a detailed proof of parentage document. The goal is to standardize applications for all Canadian families. The proof of parentage document demonstrates the child-parent relationship and is designed to enhance the security of the children’s passports. It can be either a detailed birth certificate issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial vital statistics agency that indicates the name of the parent(s) or a court-issued adoption order indicating the name of the adoptive parent(s). A foreign birth certificate that indicates the name of the parent(s) is also accepted as proof of parentage.
The only exceptions to the new rules will require all of the following conditions:
- A Canadian passport has previously been issued to the child in his or her name;
- The previously issued passport is still valid or expired for less than one year; and,
- The previously issued passport is submitted with the new application.
All other standard requirements, such as submitting proof of Canadian citizenship, continue to apply. Passport Canada is committed to protecting and enhancing the security of the Canadian passport and to doing its part to keep Canadian children safe. All legal documents that refer to custody of, mobility of, or access to the child (including but not limited to separation agreements) must be provided when applying. If a divorce has been granted, a copy of the divorce judgment or order must also be provided to Passport Canada or any of its representatives that accept passport applications in Canada or abroad. Legal guardians must provide proof of legal guardianship when submitting a passport application on behalf of a child. Passport Canada is advising of this change in advance to give parents and legal guardians time to collect the necessary documentation prior to submitting a passport application for their child. Required documentation is available at provincial service outlets.
These new requirements apply only to the Canadian passport program. This policy does not invalidate other birth documents that may be accepted for other purposes.Passport Canada worked with the provinces and territories to implement these new requirements. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure the new proof of parentage requirement is implemented as smoothly as possible. For more information, please contact Passport Canada.
