Passports in general

No. If your passport is full, you must renew it and pay the fees. You may apply for the five-year validity period if you think you’ll be running out of pages in a short time period.

Changing personal information

To change your address on your passport:

• cross out the old address on page 4
• write the new address in the space above the old one
  • if there isn’t enough room on the page, write the new address on a separate piece of paper and insert it into your passport

  A change of address doesn’t make a passport invalid.

  My appearance has changed. What should I do?

  You should get a new passport if your appearance has changed a lot. Your photo should clearly identify you when you present your passport to border officials. Updating your photo will reduce your risk of having problems when travelling outside of Canada.

  To change your passport photo, you must apply for a new passport and pay the fees.

  What do I do if my name is spelled wrong on page 2?

  If your name is spelled wrong on your passport, you should contact us right away.

  How do I change the emergency contact information on my passport?

  To change your emergency contact information:

  • cross out the old contact on page 4
  • write the new contact in the space provided
    • if there isn’t enough room on the page, write the new information on a separate piece of paper and put it in your passport

    You need to list your place of birth on your application.

    You can ask for your place of birth to not appear in your passport, but if you do, you may experience problems, such as

    • problems getting a visa
    • delays at border crossings
    • being denied entry to a country
    • The consulate or embassy of the country you plan to visit can let you know if you need your place of birth on your passport. It’s your responsibility to check the requirements before travelling.

    If you still don’t want your place of birth to appear on your passport despite these risks, you need to submit a new application for a passport and include a Request for a Canadian passport without place of birth (PPTC 077) (PDF, 1.06 MB) form with it.

    Passport of a deceased person

    What should I do with the passport of a deceased person?

    If the passport is valid, you should mail it to us to cancel at:

    Passport Program
    Gatineau QC K1A 0G3
    Canada

    Include a copy of the death certificate and a letter telling us if we should destroy the cancelled passport or return it to you.

    You don’t need to return an expired passport. However, if you want us to securely destroy it, send a note and a copy of the death certificate along with the expired passport asking for its destruction.

    Lost, Stolen or damaged passport

    Toggle Expand all Collapse all My passport was lost/stolen/damaged. What should I do?

    You must tell us right away of any lost, stolen or damaged travel document.

    In Canada, call us at 1-800-567-6868 (TTY services 1-866-255-7655 ) to report the loss, theft or damaged travel document.

    For refugee travel document and certificate of identity, call 1-888-242-2100 or TTY services: 1-888-576-8501 (in Canada only).

    If you’re outside of Canada, report the loss, theft or damaged travel document to the nearest Government of Canada office abroad.

    Passport standards and specifications

    Toggle Expand all Collapse all Who develops standards and specifications about passports?

    The international organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), develops standards and specifications about passports and other issues concerning the safe, secure and sustainable development of civil aviation around the world. The ICAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It was created in 1947.