If you're travelling this year you might spot some fellow Canadians with upgraded Canadian passports in hand, thanks to the redesign last year. Canada's passport has a fresh design, new security features, visa pages, and more, which make it stand out next to the old one.
The new passport was unveiled back in May showing off a new cover and a few new features too.
According to the feds, the new design uses the latest security features and the most advanced design techniques available. Because of these, the government says it will "remain one of the most secure and accepted travel documents in the world," which is good news for Canadians.
You can say goodbye the your old passport look, because since spring 2024,the government has discontinued the old passport. The next time you apply for a new one you can expect a few different features of the new Canadian passport.
The ID page is way different
The ID page in the new passport.
Another big change from the old Canadian passport is the new passport's identification page, which got a major upgrade with a new look, feel and new security elements.
Instead of a glossy piece of paper, the new ID page is actually a polycarbonate card, similar in feel to a driver's licence. The government says this material will last longer and will be less likely to be damaged by water or rough handling.
Your personal information is also now laser-engraved on the page, instead of printed.
The new ID page now also contains several versions of the holder's photo, including a photo of you and your date of birth under a special lens shaped like a maple leaf. When viewed through this lens, the photo and date of birth will each appear and disappear depending on how you look at it.
The government has also added a kinegram with a snowflake on it to the ID page that changes colours and appears to move when viewed from different angles.
The ID page also has a red maple leaf that disappears if you heat it by rubbing it with your finger.
There's a new reference to the king
A reference to the king in the new Canadian passport.
The new passport contains a reference to the king, rather than the queen, as was to be expected when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, ending her reign.
The new book reads: "The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada requests, in the name of His Majesty the King, all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely, without delay or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary."
The new cover
Canada's old and new passports.
One of the biggest changes to Canada's passport is the new cover design.
Whereas the old design was similar to some other countries in that it featured a centred coat of arms with text above and below, the new one definitely sets Canada's passport apart.
While the design still features Canada's coat of arms, it's now smaller, with a larger gold outline of a maple leaf surrounding it.
The book itself is still navy blue, though it appears the old passport is a richer shade of the colour.
The new cover also features updated fonts and a different orientation for the text.
It has colourful visa pages
Visa pages in Canada's new passport.
The visa pages are different now too!
The old passport featured artwork of Canada's history and icons. For example, pages featured images of Samuel de Champlain, the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, the RCMP, and Bluenose.
When the design of the new passport was unveiled, many Canadians critiqued the new passport's removal of Canadian history, like Terry Fox and Vimy Ridge, which were replaced with "seasonal art."
The new passport features visa pages in pastel shades of blue, green, yellow and orange with images of things like butterflies and moose, and people skating and sitting around a campfire.
According to the Government of Canada, the designs make the new passport "very difficult to counterfeit." When you look at them under ultraviolet light these designs also change.
There are extra visa pages
The new passport also has more visa pages than the old one.
The old passport book contained 29 visa pages as well as a final page reading "do not stamp."
The new passport book contains 33 stampable visa pages and no final page. The last page in the book is a visa page, followed by the artwork on the back cover, which features a pair of narwhals swimming in the ocean.
There's also new security elements
New security features in the new passport.
In addition to new security elements on the ID page and visa pages, the new passport also contains magnetized colour-shifting ink in the shape of a deer and snowflake on the first two pages as well as a visible chip and antenna that allows your passport to work similarly to a contactless credit card.
"All of these can be used to detect fraud and confirm that your passport is valid," says the Government of Canada.
The back cover is new too
The back and front covers of the new Canadian passport.
The new passport books also got a back-cover upgrade.
While the old ones didn't really have much going on on the back cover, the new books' back cover features a new Canadian design.
The back cover now has a debossed maple leaf similar to the maple leaf on the front cover, as well as metallic foil red maple leaves in a design going down the left side of the cover.
How do I get the new Canadian passport?
The government began issuing the new passports in June 2023. At the time, it said that until they finished installing the printers for the new passports in all offices, applicants could still get the old passport when they applied.
However, they said that by spring 2024, they would only be issuing the new passports. So if you were to apply now, you'd get the new one.
Keep in mind though that if you already have a valid passport, it’s still secure and reliable, and you don't need to apply for a new one.
This article has been updated since it was originally published on April 25, 2024.
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