On May 10, the Government of Canada has now announced that Canadians eligible for simplified passport renewals will be able to complete this process online starting in the fall.
The following groups will be eligible to take advantage of Canada’s upcoming online passport renewal system:
- Those with expired passports issued in the last 15 years
- Those with passports that were lost, stolen or damaged
For clarity, the difference between a simplified passport renewal and a standard renewal process is the required documentation.
While standard passport renewals require the applicant to provide original documents (ex. proof of citizenship or photo identification), simplified renewals only require the following four items:
- 2 photos
- 2 references
- Completed forms
- Applicable fees
IRCC hopes that the online processes it plans to introduce later this year will make passports quicker and easier to process. However, new passport applicants must still use the government’s traditional application process through Service Canada.
Canadian passport advantages are:
1- Entry into the 185 countries without a visa
2- Ability to maintain Canadian and home passport (as a Canadian citizen)
