Canadian passport renewal: check eligibility and prepare your documents
Check all adult passport renewal criteria before choosing a Canadian application route. Online renewal has additional eligibility rules; for a paper application, use the current official form and its checklist rather than treating a stored passport scan as the required original.
This guide concerns adult applicants in Canada. Start with the official eligibility checklist, not an old application saved on your phone.
Check the passport you want to renew
The previous passport must have been issued when you were at least 16, within the past 15 years, with a five- or ten-year validity. Its name, date and place of birth and gender identifier must match what you want on the replacement. All the listed criteria must be satisfied. A child’s passport cannot be renewed through this route.
Next, choose online, in-person or mail submission. The online service has different eligibility requirements. Read them before assuming the general renewal criteria are sufficient.
Prepare a paper renewal dossier
- Download the current PPTC 054 form through Canada.ca and read its instructions.
- Complete and sign both application pages, including the requested address and occupation history.
- Prepare two identical, unaltered passport photographs taken within the preceding six months. Follow the photographer-information requirements.
- Supply two eligible references who agree to be contacted. Check the official exclusions for relatives.
- Enclose any still-valid Canadian passport and the applicable fee. Read the additional declaration requirements for a lost, stolen or damaged passport.
Keep the route and documents together
The paper form does not become an online application because you scan it. Follow the submission method you selected and its current address or appointment instructions. For a valid visa in the previous passport, check the return request before sending it away.
Keep personal copies, the payment record and dispatch or application reference together. They help you track what was sent; they do not replace the actual passport or the professional photographs. See the Canadian document-storage guide for handling those reference copies.
Questions about Canadian passport renewal
Can I renew a child passport?
No. The Canadian renewal route is for eligible adult passports. Follow the new-application route appropriate to the applicant.
Does general renewal eligibility guarantee online eligibility?
No. The online application has additional conditions. Check the chosen submission route before preparing files.
Can I submit a PDF scan instead of a still-valid passport?
Follow the selected route’s checklist. The paper renewal form requires enclosing any still-valid Canadian passport; a reference scan does not replace it.