The Permanent Resident card is the official wallet sized document that proves you have permanent resident status in Canada. Most new permanent residents never apply for their first one. IRCC issues it automatically, and the whole thing is free, provided you do two small things inside a 180 day window. Miss that window and the same card costs you CAD $50 and a full application. This page walks through the automatic process, the deadline, the mailing rules, what to do when the card does not arrive, and how to travel before it does.
In this guide
The PR card is a status document and a travel document. It is not what creates your status. You became a permanent resident the moment your landing or virtual confirmation was completed. An expired PR card does not mean you lost PR status. IRCC is explicit: you do not lose permanent resident status when your card expires.
Who gets a first card automatically
IRCC states it plainly: most people do not need to apply for their first PR card. IRCC automatically sends it if you give them two things within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident:
A Canadian mailing address, and
An acceptable photograph.
If you land at a port of entry, you give your Canadian address to the CBSA officer and IRCC normally uses the photograph attached to your Confirmation of Permanent Residence. If you confirm your status virtually from inside Canada, you supply both through the Permanent Residence Portal.
Children who become permanent residents get their own cards. A child is never added to a parent's card, and the fee, when a fee applies, is per person.
Two things worth knowing before you start. IRCC warns you not to create your own PR Confirmation Portal account before IRCC invites you, because it can delay processing. And you cannot complete virtual confirmation while outside Canada.
The 180 day deadline
This is the single most expensive detail on this page.
The 180 days runs from the date you became a permanent resident. Not from the day you found an apartment. Not from the day your eCOPR appeared. If IRCC does not have your Canadian mailing address and an acceptable photo inside that window, the automatic card does not come and you have to apply for one, using form IMM 5444 and paying CAD $50.
If you land without permanent housing, that is fine and it is common. Give IRCC an address you can actually receive mail at, and then update it the moment you move. IRCC asks you to tell them if you are moving within three weeks or have already moved, and that applies even before the first card has arrived.
Who must submit a separate first card application
You will need to apply rather than wait if any of these apply to you:
You did not give IRCC a Canadian address and photo within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident.
Your card was never received and 180 days or more have passed, under the IRCC non receipt process.
IRCC asked you to collect the card at an office and you did not collect it within 180 days, after which IRCC may destroy it.
You became a permanent resident before June 28, 2002 and were never issued a PR card.
IRCC otherwise tells you to apply.
Fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| First PR card, issued automatically when address and photo are given within 180 days | Free |
| PR card application, when the automatic card was not issued or a new card is needed | CAD $50 per person |
| Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) | CAD $50 per person |
Both $50 figures appear on the IRCC fee schedule. Government fees change. Confirm the amount on the IRCC fee page before you pay.
Address rules
IRCC mails PR cards only to an address in Canada. The rules are narrow and people trip on them.
| Rule | What IRCC says |
|---|---|
| Canadian address | The card is mailed only to a Canadian address. IRCC will not mail it outside Canada. |
| Third party addresses | IRCC will not mail the card to a third party. |
| PO boxes | Used only where you live in a rural location and mail is not delivered directly to houses. |
| Moving | Tell IRCC if you are moving within three weeks or have already moved. |
Photos
For a port of entry landing, IRCC normally uses the photo attached to your COPR and will contact you if it does not meet the PR card standard.
For a virtual landing or an online application, the digital photo requirements are specific.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Quantity | 1 digital photo |
| Source | Taken by a commercial photographer or studio, not on your phone |
| Timing | Taken no more than 12 months before you apply |
| Dimensions | Between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels |
| File size | 4 MB or less |
| Format | .jpeg or .jpg |
| Background | Plain white, untextured |
| Appearance | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open, facing the camera, unaltered, natural skin tone |
| Lighting | Uniform, with no shadows, glare or flash reflection |
For a paper application you need 2 identical printed photos, taken within the previous 12 months, finished size 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, with the head measuring between 31 mm and 36 mm from chin to crown, printed on professional photographic paper.
One genuine inconsistency to be aware of. The IRCC photo specification says .jpeg or .jpg, but the help section further down that same page, and Guide 5445, both say JPEG or PNG. The formal specification is the safer instruction, so use a JPEG or JPG file and check what the live upload screen accepts.
Forms you may need
| Form | What it is |
|---|---|
| IMM 5292 or IMM 5688 | Confirmation of Permanent Residence, used to complete landing or confirmation |
| IMM 5444 | Application for a Permanent Resident Card or Permanent Resident Travel Document |
| Guide 5445 | The instruction guide for PR card applications |
| IMM 5644 | PR card document checklist |
| IMM 5451 | Solemn Declaration Concerning a Lost, Stolen, Destroyed or Never Received PR Card |
| IMM 5531 with Guide 5530 | Request to reissue a PR card when IRCC made an error |
| Guide 5529 | The PRTD instruction guide |
Always download a fresh copy of a form from IRCC. Saved copies go out of date without warning.
Processing time and tracking
IRCC publishes its PR card processing time as a live figure that changes, so this page does not quote a number. Check the IRCC processing times tool for the current estimate, and remember that IRCC calls it an estimate, not a guarantee.
There is no way to track your first PR card. IRCC says so directly. A photo showing as "in review" in the PR Portal is not shipment tracking, and treating it as such is the source of a great deal of unnecessary anxiety.
If you submitted a separate PR card application, that is different. IRCC sends an acknowledgement of receipt and you can then check it through Client Application Status or link it to your IRCC secure account.
If the card never arrives
First, wait properly. IRCC says it can take up to 6 weeks beyond the normal processing time for your card to reach you. Filing a non receipt declaration before that time has passed just adds delay.
After that, IRCC splits the situation in two.
More than 6 weeks but less than 180 days: complete the solemn declaration, form IMM 5451. IRCC will reissue the card.
180 days or more: you must fill out an application for a new card, complete the section on a lost, stolen, damaged or never received card, and pay the fee. If IRCC finds that its own error caused the non receipt, it refunds the fee.
If your card comes back to IRCC as undeliverable, update your Canadian address immediately and then follow whichever of the two routes above applies. A returned card is not automatically remailed.
If IRCC asks you to collect the card at an office, bring your passport or travel document and the originals of any documents you submitted copies of. If you do not collect it within 180 days, IRCC may destroy it and you will need a new application and a new fee.
If IRCC made a mistake on the card
If the card comes back with an IRCC error, a wrong name, wrong date of birth or wrong sex designation, you can have it reissued at no cost. You must request it within 60 days of receiving the card, using form IMM 5531 and Guide 5530. Past 60 days you are back to a full application and the fee.
One thing that is not a mistake: a shortened name. PR cards have a 28 character limit, and IRCC will shorten a long name to fit. IRCC says this is not an error and will not reissue the card for it.
Travelling before the card arrives
This is where new permanent residents get stranded, so read it carefully.
To return to Canada on a commercial carrier, an airplane, bus, train or boat, you need a valid PR card together with a valid passport or travel document. Your COPR proves your permanent resident status, but it is not the document a commercial carrier needs to board you. If you are outside Canada without a valid PR card, you normally need a Permanent Resident Travel Document.
| PRTD essential | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where you apply | You must already be outside Canada |
| Fee | CAD $50 |
| How | Normally online through the Permanent Residence Portal |
| Forms | IMM 5444, checklist IMM 5644, instruction guide 5529 |
| What it does | Lets a permanent resident without a valid card satisfy a commercial carrier |
| Validity | Normally issued for the authorised trip. It cannot be valid beyond your passport expiry date |
The PRTD application assesses your identity, your status and your compliance with the residency obligation. Approval is not automatic just because you hold an eCOPR.
Arriving by land in a private vehicle is a different situation. Without a PR card or a PRTD, IRCC says you can travel to Canada only by land in a private vehicle. CBSA officers make the final decision on entry.
On urgency, IRCC is blunt. A PR card cannot be processed in less than 3 weeks, no matter how urgent your situation. If you are already outside Canada and your flight back is leaving within the next 5 days, you can request urgent PRTD processing. It is not guaranteed.
Why some cards are valid 5 years and some only 1
Most PR cards are valid for 5 years from the date of issue. Section 54 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations sets a 1 year validity instead when, at the time the card is issued, the permanent resident is caught up in unresolved proceedings: a process under paragraph 46(1)(b) of the Act concerning loss of status, a report prepared under subsection 44(1), a removal order made by the Minister under subsection 44(2) where the appeal period is still open or an appeal has not been finally decided, or a 44(1) report referred to the Immigration Division under subsection 44(2).
A 1 year card is not a normal first card. It signals an unresolved question about status, admissibility or removal, and it is worth speaking to a licensed representative if you receive one.
Renewing later
Renew your PR card if it will expire in less than 9 months, or if it has already expired. There is no penalty for holding an expired card while you are inside Canada, but you cannot board a commercial carrier back to Canada with one.
Common mistakes
- Leaving Canada before the card arrives without understanding the PRTD rule. This is the expensive one.
- Missing the 180 day address and photo deadline, which turns a free automatic card into a CAD $50 application.
- Reading the PR Portal photo status as shipment tracking.
- Uploading a phone photo when IRCC requires a commercial photographer or studio.
- Using an overseas address or a third party address for mailing.
- Filing IMM 5451 too early, before the normal processing time plus 6 weeks has passed.
- Waiting past 180 days to report non receipt, after which a free reissue becomes a paid application.
Questions people actually ask
Prepared by KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice.
