Major change to passport renewals rolls out across Canada. Here's how it works

The Canadian government has announced that online passport renewal is now available to all eligible adult Canadians in Canada.

The rollout follows a pilot program introduced in December 2024, which previously limited online passport renewals to a maximum of 2,000 applications per day. With the trial now complete, that daily cap has been removed.

Announcing the expansion on Tuesday, immigration minister Lena Diab said: “Expanding online renewal gives eligible Canadians a simpler, more convenient way to renew their passports, without unnecessary barriers or delays. This is part of the Government of Canada’s ongoing work to modernize passport services and deliver public services that are responsive to the needs of Canadians today.”

The change builds on other recent improvements to passport services, including an online application status tracker and a guarantee that applications will be processed within 30 business days or the passport is free. Both of these measures also apply to online renewal applications.

Here’s everything to know about renewing your Canadian passport online.

Online renewals are currently only available for Canadians whose home and mailing address are in Canada. Canadians applying for their passport outside Canada can do so by mail or by visiting a Government of Canada office abroad.

The online renewal process is also limited to Canadians whose passport is set to expire within six months or has already expired.

Currently, only adult Canadians are eligible, but Diab said she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of further expanding the online application system to include children under 16 and Canadians applying abroad in the future.

Canadians can complete their passport renewal application online by submitting their documents, passport photo and payment digitally via the IRCC portal.

Applicants can submit copies of supporting documents instead of mailing in the original versions or visiting a Service Canada Centre.

IRCC notes that all passport applications require commercially taken photos that have been taken no more than six months before the date an application is submitted. The government provides more information on passport photo requirements on its website.

The requirements for the online passport renewal service are slightly different from those for applications submitted in person or by mail.

Here is the full list of requirements for renewing a passport online: