How to Renew a Canadian Passport for a Child

Jupiterimages/PHOTOS.com>>/GettyImages

Getting Your Child a New Canadian Passport

From birth to age 16, all Canadian kids need their own passports for international travel. A Canadian child's passport is only valid for five years, even if this extends past the 16th birthday. Children's passports are not eligible for renewal; only those passports originally acquired with an adult application by someone 16 or older qualify for renewal. So, if your kid's passport expires, or all its visa pages are used up, you just have to go through the application process again.

Who Can Renew a Child's Passport?

As with the first-time Canadian child passport, only the child's mother or father—or only the parent with legal custody in cases of separation or divorce—or a legal guardian may file for a subsequent passport. Both parents or legal guardians must sign the application whenever applicable.

How Long Does It Take?

If you're submitting the passport application in Canada, it typically takes 10 business days if you file in person at a passport office. If you send your application in by mail or if you file with a Service Canada or Canada Post receiving agent, expect it to take 20 business days. If you're mailing your child's application from the United States, it also generally takes 20 business days starting the day after your completed application and all necessary supporting documentation are received.

The process can take longer, though, and sometimes additional information is requested. Play it safe and build in some extra time if you have travel plans within the next few months. Expedited service is available in certain urgent situations, such as the death of a family member.

What Documentation Do You Need to Provide With Your Application?

Again, because it's not technically a renewal, you must show all the same supporting documentation that you showed for any previous Canadian child passports, including:

• The child's original long-form birth certificate or original certificate of Canadian citizenship
• Proof of parentage or legal guardianship
• Two identical passport photos of your child taken within the last six months; one must have the name and address of the photographer and the date the photo was taken on the back, and one must be certified and signed on the back by a guarantor affirming that the image is your child.
• Any relevant custody or mobility documentation, including the original court order or mobility consent from the non-custodial parent
• Any valid Canadian passport or travel documentation issued in your child's name
• Supporting legal documentation or court order, or an official declaration of change of sex designation if you're changing your child's sex on the new passport

How Much Does a Canadian Child Passport Cost?

Payment must be provided along with your application and supporting documentation. The base fee for a five-year child passport is CAN $57. If you need urgent/expedited processing, additional fees apply. Also, if you file with a Canada Post receiving agent, you'll be charged an extra CAN $20, plus applicable taxes.

How Do You Get a Canadian Child Passport Application?

A PDF version of the application for a Canadian child passport can be downloaded online at the government website. Read the instructions at the top of the page before you start filling it out.

Where Do You Submit Your Application?

To send in your child's passport application by mail, send it to Government of Canada, Passport Program, Gatineau QC K1A 0G3, Canada. If you prefer to file for your child's passport in person, find your closest Canadian passport office, Service Canada Office or Canada Post passport receiving agent location by visiting the Government of Canada website.

How Do You Make Your Payment?

If you're sending your child's passport application in by mail, you can pay with a Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card, or with a certified check or money order payable to Receiver General for Canada. Note that pre-paid credit cards are accepted, but debit cards are not.

If you're applying in person, cash and personal checks are not accepted. The same payment methods listed above are all accepted, as are debit cards.

How Do You Get Your Child's Passport?

If you apply for the passport by mail, it will be mailed to you, along with the original supporting documentation. If you apply in person, you may have the passport sent to you by mail or you can pay for pickup service.