How to Get a Passport in Canada: Documents, Fees, and Processing Times

To get a passport in Canada, you apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada with proof of Canadian citizenship, a government-issued ID, two passport photos, a guarantor, and two references, using form PPTC 153 for a first-time adult application. You can submit in person at a passport office or Service Canada Centre, by mail, or (for eligible renewals) online. A standard 10-year adult passport costs $163.50 as of March 31, 2026, and processing takes 10 business days at a passport office or 20 business days everywhere else.¹

Who Can Apply

You must be a Canadian citizen, whether by birth in Canada or through naturalization, and you cannot be under a court order or other legal restriction that blocks you from holding a travel document. Adults are 16 or older; children under 16 follow a separate process described further down.²

Passports offer three gender identifier options: F, M, or X. If your supporting documents already show the identifier you want, nothing extra is needed; if not, submit form PPTC 643 with your application. The government warns it cannot guarantee other countries or airlines will accept the X identifier.³

Documents You Need for a First-Time Adult Passport

Getting the documents right the first time is the single biggest way to avoid delays.

Proof of Canadian Citizenship

If you were born in Canada, submit an original provincial or territorial birth certificate (long-form or short-form both work). If you were born abroad, use a Canadian citizenship certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a certificate of registration of birth abroad, or a certificate of retention of Canadian citizenship. Citizenship certificates issued on or before January 31, 2012, must be originals; those issued later can be copies.⁴

Identity Document

You need one valid government-issued ID showing your name, date of birth, photo, and signature, issued by a federal, provincial, territorial, or state authority. A driver’s licence is the usual choice.⁵

Passport Photos

Two identical photos from a commercial photographer, taken within the last six months, 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, against a plain white or light-coloured background.⁶ Your guarantor signs the back of one photo.

Guarantor

A guarantor vouches for your identity by signing your form, one of your photos, and copies of your ID. They must be a Canadian citizen aged 18 or older, have known you for at least two years, and hold a 5-year or 10-year Canadian passport that is either currently valid or expired for no more than one year on the day you submit.⁷

If nobody in your life meets those requirements, contact the Passport Program and ask for form PPTC 132 (Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor), which you complete in front of a notary public, justice of the peace, or commissioner for oaths.⁸

References

You also list two references who are 18 or older and have known you for at least two years. They can’t be your guarantor, your spouse or common-law partner, your child or grandchild, or another immediate or extended family member. The government may contact them.⁷

Filling Out the Application Form

First-time adults and those who don’t qualify for a simplified renewal use form PPTC 153, downloadable at canada.ca or available at government service locations.⁹ The form asks for your current address, every address for the past two years, and your employment or school history for the same period. Type or print in capital letters using black or dark blue ink.¹⁰

Your legal name must match your proof of citizenship exactly. Even a small mismatch will trigger delays while the government sorts out the discrepancy. Keep your signature inside the box so it scans cleanly.

Making a false or misleading statement on a passport application is a criminal offence. Under the Criminal Code, it can lead to imprisonment for up to two years if prosecuted as an indictable offence, or a lesser penalty on summary conviction.¹¹

Renewing Instead of Applying from Scratch

If you already have a passport, the simplified renewal (form PPTC 054) skips the guarantor, references, and proof of citizenship. To qualify, all of the following must be true:

Your previous passport was issued when you were 16 or older, was valid for 5 or 10 years, and was issued within the last 15 years.
Your name, date of birth, place of birth, and gender identifier haven’t changed since your last passport.
You can submit your most recent passport with the application (if it was lost, stolen, or damaged, you’ll also file form PPTC 203).

Miss even one condition and you’re back on form PPTC 153. Simplified renewal still requires two photos and the applicable fee.¹²

Renewing Online

Eligible adults can also renew through the IRCC online portal at ircc-services.canada.ca. The government caps daily applications while it monitors system performance, and the counter resets at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Online eligibility is stricter than paper: your home and mailing address must be in Canada, your current passport must expire within six months or already be expired, you need a digital photo ready to upload, and your passport must contain no observations.

One trap to watch. Your current passport is cancelled the moment you submit online, so skip this option if you have travel booked within the next 20 business days plus mailing time.¹³

Getting a Passport for a Child

Children under 16 use form PPTC 155 and can only receive a 5-year passport, currently $58.50.¹⁴ A parent or legal guardian must submit the application, and all parents or legal guardians should sign. If parents are separated or divorced, the parent with custody or decision-making responsibility applies, but the government may still contact the other parent.

Every child application must include proof of parentage or legal guardianship along with the child’s citizenship proof and photos. If any court orders address custody, decision-making responsibilities, or mobility, include those too. Missing paperwork can delay or defeat the application.¹⁴

Where to Submit and How to Pay

Paper applications can be dropped off in person at a passport office (officially a Service Canada Centre – Passport Services) or at a regular Service Canada Centre. The practical difference: passport offices print passports on-site, so they’re the only locations that offer urgent and express pickup. Regular Service Canada Centres accept applications but can’t help if you’re in a hurry.

If you can’t visit in person, mail your application to the central processing centre. Mail-in applications get the same 20-business-day service standard as regular Service Canada Centre drop-offs, but mailing time is on top of that.

In person, you can pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express), prepaid card, debit card, or certified cheque or money order made payable to the Receiver General for Canada. Cash and personal cheques are not accepted. Mail-in applicants fill out the payment section with a credit card, an embossed prepaid card, or include a certified cheque or money order.¹⁵

Current Fees

As of March 31, 2026, the fees for applicants living in Canada are:¹

10-year adult passport: $163.50
5-year adult passport: $122.50
Child passport (5-year): $58.50

Fees will continue to adjust annually. Canadians applying from outside Canada pay more (for example, $266.25 for a 10-year adult passport). If you’re replacing a lost or stolen passport that hasn’t expired, add a $45 administrative fee on top of the regular cost.¹⁶

Processing Times and Faster Options

Standard processing depends on where you submit:¹⁷

Passport office, in person: 10 business days
Service Canada Centre, mail, or online: 20 business days

Neither timeline includes mailing in either direction, and the government does not accept liability for delivery delays.

If you need it faster, two expedited services are available at passport offices only. Urgent pickup gets your passport ready by the end of the next business day and costs an extra $100. Express pickup takes 2 to 9 business days and costs an extra $50. Both require proof that you actually need the passport sooner: a plane, bus, or train ticket, a paid travel itinerary, or a written explanation if you’re driving. Proof of family illness or death abroad also qualifies.¹⁸

Tracking Your Application

After you submit, check your status through the Client Application Status tool on the IRCC website using the identification number from your application receipt.¹⁹ Once approved, your passport ships by registered mail to the address on your application.

If Your Passport Is Lost, Stolen, or Damaged

Call 1-800-567-6868 immediately. A lost or stolen passport is cancelled the moment it’s reported, which prevents anyone else from using it.¹⁶

To replace a passport that was still valid when it went missing, submit form PPTC 203 (Declaration Concerning a Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Canadian Travel Document) along with a new application. The form asks where and when it was lost, what you did to try to recover it, and whether you filed a police report; include the report number if you have one.²⁰ The government may investigate before issuing a replacement, which adds time. If the missing passport had already expired, skip PPTC 203 and apply through the normal process.

1
Government of Canada. Passport and Travel Document Fee Changes
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Government of Canada. Submit an Adult Passport Application in Canada and Pay the Fees
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Government of Canada. Choose or Update the Gender Identifier on Your Passport or Travel Document
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Government of Canada. How to Show Proof of Canadian Citizenship
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Apply for a New Adult Passport in Canada – Documents to Support Your Identity
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Government of Canada. Passport Photo Requirements
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Government of Canada. What You Need to Apply for a New Adult Passport in Canada
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. References and Guarantors for Canadian Passport and Other Travel Document Applications
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Government of Canada. Get the Application Form – Apply for a New Adult Passport in Canada
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Government of Canada. Adult General Passport Application
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Justice Laws Website. Criminal Code – Forgery of or Uttering Forged Passport
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Government of Canada. Adult Simplified Renewal Passport Application
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Government of Canada. Renew Your Passport Online
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Government of Canada. How to Apply for a Child Passport in Canada
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Government of Canada. Pay Your Passport Fee in Canada
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Passports and Other Travel Documents
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Government of Canada. Check Our Service Standards – Canadian Passports and Other Travel Documents
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Get Urgent, Express or Emergency Weekend Passport Services
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Client Application Status
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Government of Canada. Declaration Concerning a Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Canadian Travel Document