To renew a passport in Canada, you send in your current adult passport, two photos, two references, and the fee, and you get a new passport back in about 20 business days. The simplified renewal is open to you if your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, issued within the last 15 years, and still shows your current name, date of birth, place of birth, and gender identifier. If any of that has changed, or the passport was lost, stolen, or damaged, you apply for a new passport instead.
Check That You Can Renew
Renewal is only on the table if every one of these is true about your most recent passport:
- It was issued when you were 16 or older (an adult passport, not a child passport).
- It was issued within the last 15 years, counted from the issue date rather than the expiry date.
- It was a 5-year or 10-year passport, not a temporary or emergency travel document.
- It has not been reported lost or stolen, and is not damaged.
- Your name, date of birth, place of birth, and gender identifier are the same as what appears in it.
Your passport can already be expired and still qualify, as long as the issue date falls inside that 15-year window.1Government of Canada. Renew a Passport in Canada – Check if You Can Renew Your Passport If any condition fails, you can’t use the renewal form; skip to the last section for what to do instead.
Pick How to Submit
You have three options, and they aren’t interchangeable.
Online
Online renewal has extra conditions on top of the standard renewal rules. Your home and mailing address must be in Canada, your passport must expire within the next six months or already be expired, and you must not need the new passport within 20 business days plus mailing time. Your current passport also has to be a regular blue passport with no observations (special notations), and it can’t have been seized or surrendered.2Canada.ca. Renew a Passport in Canada
Online applications need a digital photo, not a scanned print. A commercial photographer must take it. The file must be JPEG, portrait orientation with a 3:2 aspect ratio, at least 1,800 by 1,200 pixels, no more than 4,500 by 3,000 pixels, and between 200 KB and 5 MB. The chin-to-crown measurement has to fall between 45% and 50% of the photo’s height.3Canada.ca. Passport Photo Requirements Once submitted, you can watch progress in real time through the IRCC Portal.4Canada.ca. How to Check the Status of Your Passport Application
In Person
Bring your paper application to a Service Canada Centre or a passport office. Some locations require an appointment; others accept walk-ins. In person is the only route that opens up urgent, express, and weekend emergency service, so if speed matters, this is where to go.
By Mail
Mail-in uses the same paper form. Send it with a trackable service such as Canada Post Registered Mail or Xpresspost. The mailing address depends on your province and is printed on the application form itself. Mailing time is not counted in the processing standard, so budget roughly a week in each direction on top of the processing clock.
What to Gather
A renewal is lighter than a new application. You need your most recent Canadian passport (which you surrender with your application), two identical passport photos, and contact information for two references. No guarantor, no proof of citizenship, and no supporting ID are required for a renewal.5Government of Canada. What You Need to Renew Your Adult Passport in Canada
Your Two References
Each reference must be 18 or older, have known you for at least two years, and agree to be contacted to confirm your identity. They can’t be family: not your spouse, common-law partner, parents, siblings, children, or in-laws. A boyfriend or girlfriend can serve, as long as you’re not in a common-law relationship. A former spouse can serve once the marriage or common-law relationship has ended. Pick people who will actually pick up the phone during processing; a reference who is unreachable will stall your file.6Government of Canada. References and Guarantors for Canadian Passport and Other Travel Document Applications
Printed Photos (In Person or by Mail)
Two identical prints, meeting these specs:
- Size: 50 mm wide by 70 mm high.
- Chin to crown of the head between 31 mm and 36 mm.
- Taken within six months of the application date.
- Neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed.
- Plain white or light-coloured background with no shadows.
- On the back of one photo, the photographer’s name, studio address, and the date the photo was taken, written or stamped.
Photos are one of the most common reasons applications come back. Glare on the forehead, hair over an eye, visible teeth, and any sign of digital editing will all cause rejection.3Canada.ca. Passport Photo Requirements A studio that knows Canadian passport specs is worth the small extra cost.
Fees
Passport fees changed on March 31, 2026. For a renewal processed in Canada:
- 10-year adult passport: $163.50
- 5-year adult passport: $122.50
In-person applicants who want faster service pay one of these on top of the passport fee:
- Urgent pickup, by end of the next business day: $110
- Express pickup, 2 to 9 business days: $50
- Standard pickup, 10 or more business days: $20
Weekend or statutory holiday emergency service is an extra $335 and is reserved for genuine emergencies where you must travel over that specific weekend or holiday.7Canada.ca. Pay Your Passport Fee in Canada
In person, payment can be credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), prepaid card, debit card, or certified cheque or money order in Canadian funds payable to the Receiver General for Canada. Cash and personal cheques are not accepted. By mail, credit cards (filled in on the form), prepaid cards, and certified cheques or money orders work; debit cards don’t, since there’s no terminal.7Canada.ca. Pay Your Passport Fee in Canada
How Long It Takes
Standard processing for applications submitted in Canada is 20 business days, roughly four weeks. The clock starts when your application is received, not when you mail it, and it doesn’t include the return trip in the mail.8Government of Canada. Canadian Passports and Other Travel Documents – Check Our Service Standards
As of April 1, 2026, Service Canada guarantees that complete applications will be processed within 30 business days, or the passport fee is fully refunded. The $25 consular fee on adult applications and any urgent or expedited service fees are excluded from the refund. Refunds happen automatically; you don’t need to ask.9Canada.ca. Refunds for Applications Processed Outside Service Standards
You can check status online. Mail-in and in-person applicants use the government’s status checker; online renewals show live updates in the IRCC Portal.4Canada.ca. How to Check the Status of Your Passport Application Your new passport and any original documents typically come back in separate mailings.
If You’re Traveling Soon
You must surrender your current passport with the renewal application, so you cannot travel on it while you wait. Either renew well ahead of any trip, or apply in person and pay for urgent or express service. Expedited processing is only available in person; mail and online applications can’t be sped up.
To use any faster-than-standard service, you have to show why you need the passport quickly. Acceptable proof includes an airline, bus, or train ticket, a paid travel itinerary, proof of a family illness or death requiring travel, or a written statement explaining why you need it by a certain date.10Government of Canada. Get Urgent, Express or Emergency Weekend Passport Services Booking travel before you have a valid passport in hand is the fastest way to end up paying for itinerary changes.
When You Can’t Renew and Have to Apply New
Some situations knock you out of the simplified renewal and into the full new-passport application, which requires a guarantor, proof of Canadian citizenship, and supporting ID. The guarantor must be a Canadian citizen who is 18 or older, has known you at least two years, and holds a Canadian passport that is either currently valid or expired by no more than one year.11Government of Canada. What You Need to Apply for a New Adult Passport in Canada
Name Change
Any name change since your last passport, whether from marriage, divorce, a legal name change, or anything else, closes the renewal route. Submit a new application with documentation. For a relationship-related change, that means one or more original or photocopied documents, in English or French, such as a marriage certificate, divorce order, or separation agreement showing the last name you want on the new passport. For a legal name change, adoption, or court order, the document must show both your old and new names.12Government of Canada. Changing the Name on Your Passport or Other Travel Document
Gender Identifier Change
Canadian passports offer three gender identifier options: F, M, and X. If your previous passport or citizenship documents already show the identifier you want, no additional form is needed. If they don’t, complete form PPTC 643 for adults and file it with a new passport application. Updating the identifier means you cannot use the simplified renewal.13Government of Canada. Choose or Update the Gender Identifier on Your Passport or Travel Document
Lost or Stolen
A lost or stolen passport cannot be renewed. Report it, then apply for a new passport. On top of the standard fee, there’s a $45 administrative surcharge for replacing a valid passport that was lost or stolen, and you’ll need a guarantor, proof of citizenship, and supporting ID with the application.7Canada.ca. Pay Your Passport Fee in Canada
Issued More Than 15 Years Ago
If your last passport is outside the 15-year window, the full new application is the only path forward, regardless of how routine your renewal would otherwise be.