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New or Replacement Passports for Children
Applications to obtain new or replacement passports for children can either be downloaded and printed from the internet, picked up from our office, or may be mailed to you. If you would like to download the PPTC 042 Child Passport Application (Abroad), (PDF * 361 KB).
The normal processing time for new passports is 15 working days after submission of a fully completed application with supporting documentation.
For children under 3 years of age:
Canadian passports are valid for a maximum period of three years from the date of issue.
For children between 3 years to 16 years of age:
Canadian passports are valid for a maximum period of five years from the date of issue.
There are no extensions beyond the three and five year validity periods and there is no "renewal" procedure as such. When your child’s current passport has expired, or is within 6 to 9 months of expiring, or if all visa pages are full, you should apply for a new passport as some countries require 6 months validity on your passport before permitting you to enter. If you do not have upcoming plans for travel, you may submit an application for a new Canadian passport at any time allowing 15 working days for processing.
Please submit the following to obtain a new passport:
- One completed Child Passport Application (PPTC 042) (PDF * 361 KB) for applicants under 16 years of age
- Original proof of Canadian citizenship (Canadian birth certificate or Canadian citizenship certificate)
- Your child’s most recent Canadian passport (not applicable for first time applicants)
- Two identical passport photographs (the back of one photo must be certified and signed by your guarantor and must include the name and address of the photographer and the date the photograph was taken)
- All documents pertaining to custody of, mobility of, or access to the child
- The non-refundable processing fee
Please note: If your child’s passport was issued before February 1st, 2009 with one year validity or less and you wish to extend the validity period, do not complete the PPTC 042 form noted above. Please contact the Canadian High Commission, Canberra or Canadian Consulate General, Sydney.
Both parents are required to participate in obtaining passport services for the child and to sign the application form. The other parent may be contacted at some point during the processing period.
Applications may be submitted:
- in person in Canberra during the hours of 09:00 - 16:00, Monday to Friday
- in person in Sydney during the hours of 09:00 - 12:00, Monday to Friday
- by Australia Post (please ensure that you provide your local contact details so that we can reach you to clarify information about your application, if required)
Upon completion your passport will be returned to you via registered mail unless you include with your application an alternate method of return for your documents (self-addressed express post envelope or pre-paid courier satchel).
My child is a newborn and does not have proof of Canadian citizenship yet. How can I get a passport for them to travel?
Proof of Canadian citizenship is required to support each passport application. If your child was born abroad and you have not yet applied for their Canadian citizenship certificate, you will need to do that before submitting a passport application. If possible, you should consider deferring all travel plans until the certificate is received from the processing centre in Canada. For citizenship cards, this can be a very lengthy process so we urge you to submit the application as soon as possible after the birth of your child.
Following submission of the citizenship application, if travel plans cannot be deferred, you may submit a fully completed passport application along with all original supporting documentation as well as your child's proof of travel, itinerary or airline ticket. As your child does not have citizenship documents, you will need to submit the child’s original foreign birth certificate showing both parents’ names, original marriage certificate of the parents (optional), as well as the following documents from one of the parents: original proof of Canadian citizenship, current or most recent Canadian passport, and one other document to support the identity of the parent. Our passport officers will assess your case and determine the necessity of issuing a limited validity passport to meet your child’s travel needs. Limited validity passports issued after February 1st, 2009, cannot be extended.
Please note that citizenship applications may take about 12 to 14 months to process. As most countries in Asia require 6 months validity on the passport to travel, it is not in your best interests to apply for the limited validity passport if you have no immediate travel plans. We suggest you wait until you have fixed plans for travel and submit an application at that time allowing our office 15 working days to process your child’s passport.
The limited validity passport issued to my child is about to expire. How can I get this extended?
Your child's passport may be extended if it was issued before February 1st, 2009, and it was issued with:
- less than 5 years validity for between 3 to under 16 years of age or
- less than 3 years validity for children under 3 years of age
In most circumstances, limited validity passports are issued to Canadians who are not able to provide original proof of Canadian citizenship at the time the passport is issued. Proof of Canadian citizenship would be one of the documents noted in section 4 of the application form and the enclosed instructions.
If you now have your child's original proof of Canadian citizenship and would like to have the limited validity passport extended, contact the Canadian High Commission, Canberra or Canadian Consulate General, Sydney. You will not be required to complete the application form for a new passport (PPTC 042) nor will you require new photos.
The processing time for extending your passport is 15 working days once all the necessary documents have been submitted.
Passports issued after February 1st, 2009 cannot be extended.
The other parent is living in another country. How do I get their signature for consent?
Both parents are required to participate in the application process for the issuance of a child’s passport. If one parent is living in another country, you do not need to have them sign the application form which will be submitted to us. Their personal details (name, date of birth, address, contact telephone numbers, etc.) must be provided. The parent living abroad will be required to contact the nearest Canadian passport issuing office in their jurisdiction to make arrangements for them to complete the PPTC 028 Acknowledgement/Consent to Provision of Passport Facilities for a Minor Child. This form is to be completed and signed in the presence of the passport officer. The parent living abroad must bring their own passport when they approach the Canadian passport issuing office in their jurisdiction for identification and signature verification. After it has been completed and signed, the form will be faxed to our office by the passport officer so we may continue processing.
The other parent is not able to sign the passport form. What can I do?
If it is not possible to obtain the signature of the other parent, you must provide what details you do have, ie. name, date of birth, address, contact telephone numbers, last known contact, details of your attempts to locate the other parent, etc., and advise the passport officer when you submit the application that the other parent cannot be located. Your file will not be processed under normal conditions. Special consideration will be given with concerns relating to child custody issues.
The first passport was issued with the baby photo. How can I get the passport photo updated?
Once the passport has been produced, the photograph cannot be updated. However, if your child’s passport was issued after December 11th, 2001 when the child was less than one year old, you may elect to have a new passport issued if you would like the child’s current likeness to appear on their passport. In this case, there will be no cost to the new passport but you must provide a fully completed application satisfying all normal requirements to obtain a new passport. The new photos must have been taken within one month of submission of the application and a guarantor must certify the form and the back of one of the photographs. When you submit the application, please be sure to request the "gratis passport" for a child who was issued their first passport when they were less than one year old. Please note if you choose to apply for a "gratis passport" the original passport can not be returned to you.
My child does not know a guarantor for two years. What can I do to obtain a guarantor for my child’s passport application?
When the guarantor signs on a child’s passport application, they are confirming they have known the applying parent for a period of two years or more, not the child. They should have knowledge that the child is the child of the applying parent and they must confirm that the details on the application form are correct in addition to certifying the back of one of the photos of the child. However, they are not required to have known the child for two years or more, as would be impossible in the case of newborn babies.
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