Country: completed
Service: completed
Checklist

Renew an existing adult passport

Canada citizens

Vibistic last checked the official guidance behind this checklist on 2026-09-21. It last changed on 2026-09-16.

What changed

Updated 2026-08-06

Initial content for Canada adult passport renewal (online route), verified live against canada.ca/.../renew-adult-passport, its sub-pages, and the route-specific renew-online.html page, including the March 2026 fee increase. Vibistic clarification

Preparing for: Me

Each traveler's checked steps and document readiness are tracked separately here to help you prepare. Depending on official guidance, each traveler may need a separate application, fee, or evidence: check the relevant official guidance for each person. Tracking preparation here does not change how any application is actually handled.

Print blank checklist

"Print or save as PDF" includes your current checked-off progress. "Print blank checklist" opens a copy with nothing checked, for sharing. Check "Print all travelers" above (when tracking more than one) to include everyone in either option.

Fee and timing

Official application fee: CAD 163.50: 10-year adult passport renewal (online, living in Canada)

Source: Fee Changes Passport· Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · last verified 2026-08-06 · Check the live official figure

Earliest you can apply: No published minimum notice period.
Published processing time: Online renewal takes up to 20 business days to process, plus mailing time — check current service standards before you apply.

Source: Renew Online· Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · last verified 2026-08-06 · Check the live official figure

Report a problem with this fee/timing information

Information you'll need to apply

A worksheet for what the official online application is likely to ask for, so you can have it ready before you start: this isn't the application form itself, and nothing you note here is saved or sent anywhere.

You'll be asked for this

A digital photo from a commercial photographer, no more than 6 months old
2 references who are 18+ and have known you for at least 2 years

Source: Renew Online · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0

Source: Required Documents Photos · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0

Documents to prepare

0 of 8 preparation items resolved

Documents: 0/2 · Application steps: 0/6

Required
1. A digital passport photoRequired
  Taken in person by a commercial photographer, no more than 6 months old when you apply, and not a scanned copy of a printed photo.
  Form: Digital image
  you-need-a-digital-photo-to-renew-online · Report a problem
2. 2 referencesRequired
  Each reference must be 18 or older, have known you for at least 2 years, and agree to you using their name and contact information. They can't be your spouse, common-law partner, child, grandchild, or other immediate or extended family — see canada.ca's own full list for other excluded relationships.
  Form: Upload
  who-can-be-a-reference-for-you · Report a problem

Steps

Check you're eligible to renew at all
Confirm your last passport was an adult passport issued within the last 15 years, with the same name, date of birth, place of birth and gender identifier you want now. If not, you need to apply as new instead.
Go →
Source: Check Who Renew · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · Report a problem
Check you meet the extra requirements to renew online
Your home and mailing address must be in Canada and you must be there to receive your passport, and your passport must expire within 6 months or already be expired — more than 6 months away and you can't use this route. Your passport also can't be damaged, seized, surrendered, have observations, or be a previously lost/stolen passport you're reporting found. If you don't meet these, apply in person or by mail instead.
Go →
Source: Renew Online · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · Report a problem
Get a digital photo taken
It must be taken in person by a commercial photographer, be no more than 6 months old when you apply, and not be a scanned copy of a printed photo.
Go →
Source: Renew Online · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · Report a problem
Gather your 2 references
Your 2 references must be 18 or older, have known you for at least 2 years, and can't be your spouse, common-law partner, child, grandchild, or other immediate or extended family.
Go →
Source: Required Documents Photos · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · Report a problem
Sign in or register, then renew online
Start or continue your renewal through the IRCC Portal. Get your passport in up to 20 business days plus mailing time. Your current passport is cancelled once you apply, so don't book travel until your new one arrives.
Go →
Source: Renew Online · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · Report a problem
Track your application
Once your passport is ready, it's mailed to you — usually within about 5 business days, though it can vary by location.
Go →
Source: Get Passport · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 · Report a problem

Eligibility context

Who can renew

You can renew instead of applying as new only if all of the following are true of your last passport: it was an adult passport issued when you were 16 or older, it was issued within the last 15 years, it was a 5- or 10-year passport, and it has the same name, date of birth, place of birth and gender identifier you want on your new passport.

Source: Check Who Renew · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0

Who can't renew

You can't renew — and must apply as new instead — if your last passport was issued when you were under 16, if you can't renew a child passport this way at all, or if you want to change your name, date of birth, place of birth or gender identifier on the new passport. An application submitted as a renewal that doesn't meet all the criteria is rejected and returned.

Source: Check Who Renew · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0

Extra requirements to renew online

Meeting the general renewal criteria above isn't enough to use the online route specifically. You also need: your home and mailing address in Canada, and you'll need to be there to receive your passport (online renewal doesn't deliver outside Canada); a regular (blue) passport that shows your place of birth; your own passport, not someone else's; a passport that expires within the next 6 months or has already expired (more than 6 months away and you can't renew online); no need for your passport in the next 20 business days plus mailing time; a passport that isn't damaged, seized, or surrendered, and has no observations; and it must not be a previously lost or stolen passport you're reporting as found.

Source: Renew Online · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0

No guarantor needed to renew

Renewing is simpler than applying for a new passport: you don't need a guarantor, proof of citizenship, or supporting identification. You do still need 2 references.

Source: Renew Adult Passport · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0

This checklist covers renewing online

Canada also offers in-person and by-mail renewal — both have a different, less restrictive eligibility gate than online (for example, no 6-month expiry window), different processing times, and, at some in-person locations, extra fees for faster service. This checklist only covers the online route; see canada.ca directly for the in-person or by-mail routes.

Source: Submit Form Fees · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0

Fees

The fee depends on validity period and where you live: a 10-year adult passport is CA$163.50 and a 5-year adult passport is CA$122.50 for applicants living in Canada (higher for applicants living outside Canada). This checklist uses the 10-year, living-in-Canada rate; choose the 5-year passport on your application if you want the lower fee.

Source: Fee Changes Passport · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0