Canadian Passport Renewal—All You Need to Know

The Canadian passport is one of the strongest in the world, being on the top of ranked passports. With a variety of 185 destinations to choose from where you can travel without a visa, Canadian citizens have to worry only about renewing their passports after 5 or 10 years.

In the below paragraphs, you will find all the information about Canadian passport renewal. We will guide you in this process and provide with all the necessary information, the documents you need, where you can go for a Canadian passport renewal, and much more.

So stay with us till the end, and you will not have to worry about all the needed steps.

Documents you need to renew your Canadian passport

Renewing your Canadian passport is not as difficult as it sounds if you have all the necessary documents. It’s easier to renew your passport than to apply for a new one. 

Canadian passport holders only need a few documents to proceed with their renewal.

The documents you need:

• Canadian citizens will have to provide the issued passport date, the expiration date, and the passport number. 
• Bring your most recent passport only if it’s still valid.
• You will also have to provide two identical photos for a Canadian passport. 

Also, if you want to apply for passport renewal online, we advise you to gather all the necessary documents in a digital format.

Canadian passport renewal in 3 steps

Now that you gathered all the documents for your Canadian passport renewal, you are ready to proceed:

Step#1: Complete the Canadian passport renewal application form

When applying for your Canadian passport renewal, you can do it from the comfort of your home or at any passport office. But please be informed that according to your queries, in some cases, you will need to apply at a passport office.

If applicants choose to apply for Canadian passport renewal by completing the application at home and mailing it, find the application here. You can also apply in person by going to Canadian passport offices, and if you want to, you can use the passport review service.

Step#2: Prepare all documents

After completing the application form for your passport renewal is time to prepare all the documents we mentioned a few paragraphs before. Applicants will need to show the most recent passport to renew it, but be aware that this applies only to valid ones. In case your Canadian passport expired you only need this information: passport number, issue date, and expiration date.

Also, remember to bring two identical passport photos for a Canadian passport, and also we advise you to check the Canadian photo requirements before taking the photo. 

Last but not least, you need two references from people that have known you for at least 2 (two) years. Please be aware that your family is not allowed to help you. The references need to be from people you have no blood relation.

Step#3: Submitting the application

You’re almost done, the only left step is to pay the fee. The price can vary depending on the factors: a) the place you are applying from, b) applicant’s age, and c) passport type. You can’t pay the fee online, and that cash and personal cheques are not accepted. 

There are two options for submitting your application to renew a Canadian passport: a) walking into a passport office or b) mailing the documents. If you apply at the passport office, you can only pay by credit/prepaid, debit card, and certified cheque or money order (postal or bank).

If you choose to mail application documents, you only need to fill out your card information in the payment section on the application form before sending it. 

How long does it take to receive your Canadian passport?

You’ve gone through all of the above steps and submitted the application for renewing your Canadian passport. Now you only need to wait for your application to be reviewed, which can take up to a few weeks. 

If you choose to apply by sending the application via mail, the Canadian passport will be sent at the address mentioned in the application. Or you can go to the post office if you choose to apply in one. When you submit the application you can either ask for a pick-up date or request that the new passport be mailed to your address.  

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