The Feds Are Making It Easier To Renew Your Canadian Passport If It's Expired

Renewing your Canadian passport is getting easier now that the federal government is expanding the simplified renewal process.

Since COVID-19 travel restrictions are being lifted and more Canadians are travelling abroad, the federal government announced that it's modernizing and improving services so it can better respond to demand.

Canadians living in Canada and living abroad can use the simplified renewal application process for their Canadian passports as of March 31, 2022.

This applies to passports that are expired as long as they were issued within the last 15 years.

The simplified process can also be used by Canadians whose passports have been lost, stolen or damaged.

With the simplified renewal process, applicants don't need to have a guarantor or provide original documents like proof of citizenship or photo ID.

All that's needed is two photos, two references, the completed form and the applicable fees.

Before this expansion, the simplified renewal process wasn't available for passports that had been expired for longer than a year or for ones that were lost, stolen or damaged.

Now that travel restrictions are being eased, the federal government said the demand for passport renewals is increasing and getting back to pre-pandemic levels.

It's recommended that Canadians apply early and don't finalize any travel plans until they actually receive their new passport.

If you're not planning on travelling soon, the federal government said you don't need to rush to renew an expired or soon to be expired passport because of the simplified process.

Canada's passport was recently named one of the best in the world based on its visa-free access to other countries.

It came in seventh overall for the 2022 ranking!