Travel documents

Your client may require one or more travel documents to travel outside Canada. These can include, among others, passports and permanent resident cards, along with official documents such as visas. It's important to know which documents are needed and where to get them to make travelling quick and easy.

If your clients hold dual citizenship or nationality, they may require additional documents to travel to the country of their other citizenship and should contact the embassy or consulate of that country to find out the specific requirements.

Passports

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is the department responsible for all matters related to Canadian passports and other Canadian travel documents.

Canadian government offices outside Canada provide passport assistance to Canadians outside Canada on behalf of the IRCC. Although consular officers can request urgent assistance, they do not control how quickly IRCC will approve an application. If your client is still in Canada they can call 1-800-567-6868 toll-free if they need emergency passport help on weekends and statutory holidays.

Canadians holding dual (or multiple) citizenship, with the exception of U.S. passport holders, need a valid Canadian passport to board a flight to Canada. If their other country of citizenship needs them to enter and exit that country using a passport issued by its government, they should make sure they carry both passports when they travel.

There are many other things you need to know about Canadian passports. For example, did you know that all new Canadian passports have a data chip in them and are called ePassports? Or that the validity period of Canadian child and adult passports can be different, or that an adult passport needs to be signed to be valid, but the same isn’t true for a child’s passport? You should become familiar with these rules to properly guide your clients in case they have questions about Canadian passports.

The IRCC website provides all the information your clients need about Canadian passports and other travel documents.

Advice about the condition and validity of a passport for travel

Condition:

A passport is a valuable document that should be kept in a safe, dry and secure place at all times. It must be kept in good condition and free of damage. Canadian passports are the property of the Government of Canada.

Travelling with a damaged passport could result in delays and issues. Border authorities can refuse entry or exit from a country, and airlines may prevent your clients from boarding a plane based on the condition of their passport. 

Some examples of damage to a passport include:

  • removal of pages
  • unauthorized markings
  • tears in one or more pages
  • exposure to water or humidity
  • chewing marks from a child or pet
  • change of the information and/or photo
  • separation of the cover and inside pages
  • other forms of damage that aren’t listed here

Validity:

Many countries have strict requirements when it comes to the validity of the traveller’s passport. Some countries will not allow entry, or issue a visa, if the passport is not valid for several months beyond the traveller’s date of departure from that country. Your clients should not travel outside Canada with a passport that will expire during or shortly after a trip. The passport holder should check the Entry/exit requirements section in our Travel Advice and Advisories to make sure the passport meets the requirements of that country. The passport should also have enough empty pages for visas or entry-exit stamps in accordance with the destination’s entry requirements.

Visas

As a travel counsellor, it is in your interest to ensure that your clients have all the required documentation before leaving Canada. Depending on the destination, this could include a visa.

You can check the destination’s “Entry and exit requirements” section in our Travel Advice and Advisories to see whether a visa is required. If so, your client may need to obtain the visa before leaving Canada. Travellers should apply for a visa several months before their departure date for certain countries, as obtaining a visa can be a time-consuming process.

To access information on passport validity and visa requirements, go to:

  • Travel Advice and Advisories
  • Select the destination country
  • Find the “Entry and exit requirements” section
  • Read sections on passports and visas
Contacting foreign embassies or consulates in Canada

Ultimately, every country or territory decides who can enter or exit through its borders, and requirements can change at any time. We recommend that you consult the embassy or consulate of the destination country in Canada to check its entry requirements.

The Government of Canada cannot intervene on behalf of your clients if they do not meet their destination country’s entry or exit requirements.

Global Affairs Canada provides a list of all foreign embassies and consulates in Canada.

Help SofiaHelp Sofia!

4 – Sofia was 15 years old when she was issued her passport and now that she is almost 20, it is about to expire. She is wondering if she would be able to renew it for an ePassport that is valid for more than 5 years. You look up her question on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website. After visiting the Who can renew section and watching the ePassport video you find out that:


5- Since Sofia has previously travelled to Europe with her parents, she remembers that she didn’t need a visa. She has heard that Türkiye partially lies in Europe, and wonders if she can also go there without a visa. You help her out by looking it up in the Entry and exit requirements section of the Travel Advice and Advisories for Türkiye and see that she ________________.

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