New Passport Renewal Policy
Posted on 10/04/2022
Renewing your Canadian passport just got easier on March 31, 2022, especially if your current passport has been expired for more than 1 year. Previously, if you let your passport expire for more than 1 year – or if it had been lost, stolen, or damaged – you had to provide a guarantor and original documents to prove you were a Canadian citizen and therefore eligible for a passport.
As of March 31, 2022, you can now use the simplified passport application which previously was only for passports that had expired for less than 1 year or that hadn’t expired yet, or that weren’t lost, stolen, or damaged. First let’s remind you of what the full application requires.
The Hard Way (for first time passport applications and for passports that have been expired for over 15 years)
However as before, if it is your first passport application or if your passport has expired for more than 15 years, then you have to use form PPTC 153 – Adult Passport Application (assuming it’s not for a child). You’ll also need:
- Original proof of citizenship document which includes:
- Birth Certificate – only for those born in Canada
- Citizenship Certificate
- Certificate of Naturalization
- Certificate of Registration of Birth Abroad
- Certificate of Retention of Canadian citizenship
- A photo ID containing your name, date of birth, and your signature issued by a federal, provincial/territorial or state government or the overseas equivalent, including:
- Driver’s licence
- Health card (remember it must be a photo ID)
- Canadian passport
- Foreign passport
- Government-issued photo ID issued by federal, provincial/territorial governments or the overseas equivalent
- Military ID
- Employee ID issued by federal, provincial/territorial governments or the overseas equivalent
- Any valid Canadian passport or travel document issued in your name (so it can be cancelled)
- 2 identical passport photos to specifications and signed by your guarantor
- A guarantor who has to sign your application as well as one of your passport photos and sign any supporting ID documents you submit
- 2 references who have known you for at least 2 years
Now let’s review the simplified renewal process that is now available to more Canadians.
The Easy Way – simplified passport renewal (now available to those whose passports have expired for more than 1 year but not more than 15 years or whose passports have been lost, damaged, or stolen).
As long as your passport hasn’t expired for 15 or more years and as long as the following is true:
- Your previous passport was valid for 5 or 10 years.
- You want the same name, date of birth, and place of birth as on your previous passport (if your name has changed you have to complete the full application shown above.
- Your gender is the same as on your previous passport (if your gender has changed, you have to complete the full application above).
Then you can renew your passport with a simplified application. All you need is the following:
- The date your last passport was issued, the date it expired, and the passport number.
- Your most recent passport (if it is still valid – i.e. if it hasn’t expired)
- 2 identical passport photographs to specification (but without any guarantor signature as you do not need a guarantor)
- 2 references who have known you for at least 2 years
Posted in News Tips and tagged Canadian Passport
