A Canadian passport is available only to a Canadian citizen. If you are a permanent resident, your PR card is not a passport and you cannot apply for one yet. Citizenship first, passport second.
In this guide
This page covers applying inside Canada. If you are in the United States or another country, the forms and submission steps differ, so use the instructions for your location.
One thing before the details: passport and travel document fees increased on 31 March 2026, and they now adjust every year under the Service Fees Act. Anything you read on a blog written before that date is wrong.
Which application do you actually need?
Choosing the wrong route is the most common way to have an application sent back.
| Your situation | Route | Form in Canada |
|---|---|---|
| You are 16 or older and have never held an adult Canadian passport | New adult passport | PPTC 153 |
| You have an adult passport and meet EVERY simplified renewal condition | Adult renewal | PPTC 054 |
| You are 16 or older but do not meet every renewal condition | New adult passport | PPTC 153 |
| The applicant is 15 or younger | New child passport | PPTC 155 |
| A child passport has expired | New child passport | PPTC 155 |
Always download a fresh form from canada.ca. An outdated form can be rejected.
When you can use simplified renewal
Every one of these must be true of your most recent Canadian passport:
It was an adult passport, issued when you were at least 16.
It was issued within 15 years of the date you apply.
It was valid for 5 years or 10 years.
It shows the same name, date of birth and place of birth you want on the new one.
It shows the same gender identifier you want, either printed in the passport or via the X observation sticker.
Note what the test is keyed to: the date of ISSUE, not the date of expiry. An expired passport can still qualify for simplified renewal, provided it was issued within the past 15 years and everything else lines up. A lot of people apply for a whole new passport when they did not need to.
There is a catch at the other end. If you apply more than a year before your passport expires, the Passport Program will ask why. By mail, you must include a written explanation. And if they are not satisfied with your reason, the application may be refused.
What disqualifies you from renewal
Your last passport was issued before you turned 16.
It was issued more than 15 years ago.
It had a validity other than 5 or 10 years.
Your name, date of birth, place of birth or gender identifier has changed.
It is a child passport. A child passport can never be renewed.
Why renewal is worth qualifying for
A simplified renewal does not require a guarantor, proof of Canadian citizenship, or a supporting identity document. That is three fewer things to chase.
You still need the form, 2 references, 2 compliant photos, your most recent passport details, and the fee.
A first adult passport
A new adult application needs proof of Canadian citizenship, a supporting identity document, 2 identical photos, a guarantor, and 2 references. If you hold a valid Canadian passport or other Canadian travel document, you submit it too.
Proof of citizenship is a Canadian birth certificate or a Canadian citizenship certificate. A paper certificate must be the original. An electronic certificate should be printed and included.
Your supporting identity document can be an original or a photocopy. If you use a photocopy, copy both sides and have your guarantor sign and date it.
Guarantors
Your guarantor must:
Be a Canadian citizen aged 18 or over.
Have known you for at least 2 years.
Have been at least 16 when they applied for their own passport.
Hold a 5 year or 10 year Canadian passport that is either valid, or expired by no more than one year.
Be available if the Passport Program contacts them.
Your guarantor writes on the back of one photo: "I certify this to be a true likeness of" followed by your name, and then signs that same photo. The signature is not optional and people forget it.
They also sign and date each photocopy of supporting identity for an adult application.
A guarantor cannot charge you money. You also cannot help them complete their part.
If you have no guarantor
You are not stuck. Contact the Passport Program or visit a passport service location and ask for the Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor form. It is deliberately not available online.
You swear and sign it before a notary public, a justice of the peace, or a commissioner for oaths in Canada.
One rule catches almost everyone: the references named on that declaration must be different people from the references on your passport application.
References
You need 2. Each must be 18 or over, have known you for at least 2 years, agree to be contacted, and be available.
Your reference cannot be your guarantor, your spouse, your common law partner, or a family member. A former spouse or former common law partner may qualify. A boyfriend or girlfriend may qualify, provided the relationship is not common law.
References do not have to be Canadian citizens. Canada.ca sets no citizenship or residency requirement for a reference, and anyone telling you otherwise is guessing.
Photos
Hand these rules to a commercial photographer. Non compliant photos get applications refused.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Number | 2 identical, unaltered photos |
| Age of photo | Taken no more than 6 months before you apply |
| Size | 50 mm wide by 70 mm high |
| Face height | 31 mm to 36 mm from chin to crown |
| Background | Plain white or light coloured |
| Expression | Eyes open, mouth closed, facing the camera, no smile, no frown |
| Quality | Sharp, evenly lit, no shadow, glare or flash reflection |
| Printing | Professionally printed. Home printed photos are rejected |
| Editing | None. No filters, no cropping around the head, no background replacement, no AI alteration |
| Glasses | Clear glasses allowed if eyes are visible with no glare. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not |
| Head covering | Allowed when worn daily for religious or medical reasons, with the full face visible |
On the back of one photo the photographer writes or stamps the date taken, the studio name, and the complete address. Stick on labels are not accepted. For a new adult or child application, the guarantor adds the true likeness statement and signs. A renewal needs no signature on the photos.
Child passports
A child passport is for a Canadian citizen aged 0 to 15 and is valid for a maximum of 5 years. It stays valid to its expiry date even after the child turns 16.
You cannot renew it. Ever. Submit a new child application each time until the child is 16, and then use the adult process.
Use form PPTC 155. A parent may apply when the parents are not separated or divorced. If they are, the parent with custody or decision making responsibility applies. A legal guardian may apply and must include the relevant legal documents. All parents or guardians should sign, and the Passport Program may contact the others.
The applying parent cannot act as guarantor. Another parent or guardian may, if eligible.
Fees
| Passport or service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Adult passport, 5 years, age 16 and up | CAD $122.50 |
| Adult passport, 10 years, age 16 and up | CAD $163.50 |
| Child passport, age 0 to 15 | CAD $58.50 |
| Urgent pickup, by end of the next business day | CAD $125.75 extra |
| Express pickup at an eligible passport office (2 to 9 business days) | See canada.ca for current fee |
| Standard pickup at an eligible passport office (10 or more business days) | See canada.ca for current fee |
| Replacing a valid lost or stolen passport | CAD $45 extra |
Express pickup and standard pickup also carry extra charges. We are not printing the amounts, because those two figures could not be confirmed from a readable official source, and we would rather tell you that than guess. Check the live fee page.
You cannot pay cash and you cannot use a personal cheque.
Two fee details worth knowing. There are no refunds if you cancel, are refused, or receive a shorter validity than you asked for. Only the CAD $25 consular fee on adult applications is refundable. And for a mailed application, the fee owed depends on the date the Passport Program RECEIVES it, not the date you posted it.
How long it takes
These are service standards under normal conditions, not guarantees. The clock starts when the Passport Program has your completed form, all documents, and payment. Corrections, replacement photos, verification and security checks add time.
| How you apply | Service standard |
|---|---|
| In person at a passport office, or a Service Canada Centre offering 10 day processing | 10 business days |
| In person at a regular Service Canada Centre, at an outreach site, by mail, or online | 20 business days |
| Urgent pickup at an eligible passport office | By the end of the next business day |
| Express pickup at an eligible passport office | 2 to 9 business days |
Mailing time is on top of all of these, including the 10 day standard.
Online renewal now exists, though it is available to a limited number of people. It takes 20 business days plus mailing time, it is the only channel you can pay for online, and your current passport is cancelled the moment you apply.
Express is not uniformly 2 to 9 days everywhere. Kelowna and Pointe Claire run 4 to 9 business days, and Charlottetown 3 to 9.
Urgent and express both require you to apply in person at a passport office that offers the service, and to show proof of the need: a ticket, a paid itinerary, evidence of illness or death requiring travel, or a written explanation. A third party cannot request expedited service on your behalf.
Do not finalise travel until you have the passport in your hand. This is the government's own advice.
If your name has changed
You cannot use simplified renewal to change your name. Apply for a new passport.
Include supporting identity in the new name, proof of citizenship in either the old or new name, your current passport if still valid, and a document explaining the change.
For a surname change after marriage, separation, divorce or another relationship change, the evidence can be a marriage certificate, a common law relationship certificate, a court order, a certificate dissolving a registered common law relationship, or a resumption of surname certificate. It must show the surname you are requesting and be in English or French. It does not need a guarantor signature.
For a legal name change, court order or adoption order, your supporting identity must show the new name. If your citizenship proof still shows the old name, include both it and a legal change document showing the old and new names together. Documents not in English or French need a certified translation.
Book travel in the name printed in your passport. A mismatch causes problems at check in and at the border.
If your passport is lost or stolen
In Canada, call 1 800 567 6868 as soon as you can.
If the passport was still VALID, submit form PPTC 203 with your application and pay the regular fee plus the $45 replacement charge. An adult can still use renewal if every renewal condition is met. A child always needs a new child application.
If the lost or stolen passport had already EXPIRED, you do not need the special declaration. Apply in the normal way, with no $45 charge.
If you are not sure whether it had expired, submit PPTC 203 anyway.
The Passport Program may review or investigate the loss before issuing a replacement, and that adds time.
Supporting forms
| Form | Purpose |
|---|---|
| PPTC 084 | Credit card payment authorisation inside Canada and the United States |
| PPTC 056 | Additional address and occupation information |
| PPTC 057 | Additional identity documents and references |
| PPTC 203 | Declaration for a lost, stolen, inaccessible, damaged or found travel document |
| PPTC 662 | Additional information when an adult requires authorised third party assistance |
| PPTC 643 | Request concerning the sex or gender identifier, adult 16 or older |
| PPTC 644 | Request concerning the sex or gender identifier, child under 16 |
How much validity do you need to travel?
There is no universal rule, and this is where a very popular myth needs killing.
You will hear that every country requires 6 months of passport validity beyond your travel date. Canada.ca confirms no such blanket rule. Each country sets its own entry requirements.
Check the official entry and exit requirements for every country on your itinerary, including any country you merely transit through, before you book.
Common mistakes
- Using PPTC 054 without meeting every single renewal condition.
- Trying to renew a child passport. It cannot be done.
- Applying for a whole new passport when your expired one was issued within the past 15 years and would have qualified for simplified renewal.
- Submitting an identity photocopy without the guarantor's signature and date.
- Forgetting the guarantor's signature on the back of the photo, not just the true likeness wording.
- Choosing a family member as a reference.
- Forgetting that mailing time sits on top of the service standard.
- Assuming every country will accept your passport right up to its printed expiry date.
Questions people actually ask
Prepared by KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice.