Welcome to the Guberman // Appleby Immigration Update. We hope you find the information provided relevant to your immigration needs. Our objective is to highlight recent updates in immigration that are of interest to our readers. If you have questions about how these changes impact you, we invite you to contact our Canadian immigration lawyers for tailored guidance.
Today’s topic:
Online Passport Renewal Available to All Eligible Canadian Adults
On July 28, 2026, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that online passport renewal is now available to all eligible Canadian adults. Previously, Canadians had to renew their passport by mail or by visiting a Service Canada Centre. Now, eligible Canadians can renew their passport on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) online portal.
The digital process differs from the former renewal system by expanding the eligibility criteria. Previously, the requirements to renew a Canadian passport included the following criteria:
- The applicant was issued their previous passport when they were at least 16 years old;
- The previous passport was issued within 15 years of the date of applying for a renewal;
- The previous passport was valid for 5 or 10 years; and
- The applicant will use the same name, date of birth, place of birth and gender identifier on their new passport as on their current passport.
These requirements remain unchanged for the digital passport application process. IRCC has added additional eligibility requirements before one creates an account on the IRCC portal and applies for renewal online. These additional requirements include:
- Having a home and mailing address in Canada;
- The applicant’s current passport will expire within 6 months or is already expired;
- The applicant’s current passport is not damaged, seized or surrendered;
- The applicant must not report a lost or stolen passport as found if not already returned to the government; and
- The applicant’s current passport has no observations. An observation is a separate page in one’s passport which explains special circumstances (for example, names that are too long to be printed in full or a diplomatic passport).
The digital passport renewal process shares some similarities with the in-person service. First, both processes require photographs to be taken by a commercial photographer, submitted in physical form and must be less than 6 months old at the time of the application. Secondly, both processes follow the same 20-business-day service standard, but applicants can only expedite the application to a 10-business-day standard by applying in-person and paying additional fees. Thirdly, the passport renewal process remains the same for Canadian citizens living outside of Canada: they must apply for their Canadian passport by mail or by visiting a Government of Canada office abroad. These similarities help ensure consistency and quality service between both application methods.
Most notably, online applicants will lose access to their passport for at least 20 business days after the application is made, plus mailing time. Once an online application is filed, current passports will be cancelled and declared invalid. Therefore, if you need to travel within a 20-business-day window, you must apply to renew your passport in-person.
We will continue to monitor the status of this update as more information is released. To learn more about the digital passport renewal process, please contact our office to discuss your matter.
// CONTACT US
We welcome you to contact us directly to discuss the above. Please contact one of our Toronto immigration lawyers by reaching out to our general line 416-548-7100 or via email info@gaimmlaw.com. Our immigration lawyers are always available to discuss any of your specific Canadian or US immigration queries either virtually or in person. We look forward to hearing from you.
