Canadian Passport

A Canadian passport is a passport issued to citizens of Canada (Canadians) for the purpose of international travel; allowing the bearer to travel in foreign countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitating the process of securing assistance from Canadian consular officials abroad, if necessary; and requesting the protection of the passport holder while abroad. A Canadian passport is not a primary proof of Canadian citizenship within Canada and therefore cannot be used for the purpose of obtaining a citizenship certificate, an enhanced driver's licence or identification card.

All Canadian passports are issued by Passport Canada, a special branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and are valid for five years, except that those of children under age three are valid for three years. As of July 2009, 56.2% of Canadians held a valid Canadian passport. Although held by individuals, all Canadian passports remain property of Her Majesty in right of Canada.

On April 7, 2010, Passport Canada announced that in 2012, Canada will begin issuing electronic passports, or ePassports, to all its citizens. The use of ePassports will allow Canada to follow international standards in the field of passport security to protect the nation's borders and maintain the ease of international travel that Canadians currently enjoy. At the same time, Passport Canada will start offering the option of a 10-year validity period as well as the current 5-year validity period.

Rights to a passport

The issuance of passports is a royal prerogative,[6] rather than an Act of Parliament; they are issued in the name of the reigning monarch, as expressed in the passport note. However, the authority to issue passports is granted to Passport Canada, a Special Operating Agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, under the authority of the Canadian Passport Order, an Order-in-Council that specifies grounds for which Passport Canada can issue or renew a passport.

Applicants must fill out the required forms, which include the necessity of two passport photos and affirmation from a surety. Rules regarding renewals of passports and the eligibility of guarantors were last updated October 1, 2007, whereafter applicants may renew the passport using a shorter application form if: they are Resident in Canada when they apply; lived in Canada and were at least sixteen years of age at the time of their previous application; and are in possession of a Canadian passport that was issued under their current name after January 31, 2002, is valid for five years, and not damaged or reported lost or stolen. Further, a guarantor may be a Canadian who currently holds a valid, or no more than one year expired, five-year Canadian passport; has known the applicant for more than two years; is eighteen or more years old; and were sixteen years of age or older when they applied for their own passport. For citizens abroad, passport applications are forwarded back to a passport centre by the local embassies, high commissions or consulates.

Passport Canada may revoke a passport or refuse to issue or renew a passport on grounds set out in the Canadian Passport Order, including such grounds as failure to submit a complete application, misrepresentation in obtaining a passport, and criminality. However, whether a Canadian passport may be revoked or refused on the basis of national security concerns has been questioned.

Types of passports

Before 1947, there were two types of passports: those issued to people who were born British subjects and those issued to people naturalized as British subjects.

Today, there are six types of Canadian passports:

1. Regular Passport (navy cover)

These documents are issued to citizens for occasional travel, such as vacations and business trips. They contain 24 pages. The maximum validity period varies with the age of the passport holder. Children (3 to 15 years of age) and adults (16 years of age or over) are issued passports with a maximum validity of 5 years; children (under 3 years of age) are issued passports valid for a maximum of 3 years.

2. Frequent Traveller Passport (navy cover)

These are issued to frequent travellers, such as business people. These passports cost slightly more than a regular passport, containing 48 pages; $5 more for adults, $2 for children. The validity period for this passport is the same as for the regular passport.

3. Temporary Passport (white cover)

These are issued on behalf of Passport Canada to Canadians with an urgent and proven need for an interim passport while abroad.

4. Emergency Passport (1 page)

Emergency passports are one-use documents issued to Canadians for direct return to Canada or to another Canadian mission where full passport services may be obtained.

5. Special Passport (green cover)

These are issued to people representing the Canadian government on official business, including Privy Councillors, Members of Parliament, provincial cabinet members, public servants, citizens nominated as official non-diplomatic delegates[22] and Canadian Forces members who are posted abroad.

6. Diplomatic Passport (maroon cover)

These are issued to Canadian diplomats, top ranking government officials (including lieutenant governors and commissioners of territories), diplomatic couriers, and private citizens nominated as official diplomatic delegates.