Whether you're a Canadian passport holder or looking to apply for a passport, these facts about the Canadian travel document are sure to impress.
Including visa-free access and a few cool tricks, here are nine things you may not know about your Canadian passport.
It's one of the world's most powerful passports
According to the Henley Passport Index, Canada's passport ranks as the seventh most powerful passport in the world thanks to the number of countries it provides access to visa-free.
For 2024, the passport ranks alongside those of Czechia, Hungary and Poland for its strength. It also came in above the United States passport, which ranks as the eighth most powerful globally.
In the top spot for 2024 is Singapore's passport, followed by France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain, which tied for second place.
According to the Henley Passport Index, Canada's passport has never ranked as the most powerful in the world, but did rank as the world's second-most powerful passport in 2015.
It allows you to travel to more than 100 countries visa-free
Canada's passport is regarded as one of the best for mobility, allowing holders to travel to 118 countries without needing a visa.
Canadian passport holders can travel to countries including the Bahamas, Costa Rica, France, Jamaica, South Korea and many more and stay for 90 or 180 days (and in some countries, up to a whole year) without needing to apply for a visa.
In addition to this, Canadians can travel to 47 countries where they can get a visa on arrival, and seven countries where an Electronic Travel Authority is required with a Canadian passport, according to the Passport Index.
Not bad!
It comes in white
Did you know that Canada's passport comes in a pretty shade of white? The white passport is Canada's temporary passport.
A temporary Canadian passport is an eight-page, machine-readable passport that's issued by certain Canadian government offices abroad.
The passport is meant to be used for short-term situations, and may be issued to Canadian citizens who have an urgent and proven need for a passport, like if they lose their regular passport while travelling abroad.
The passport features a white cover with a coat of arms. Like the regular passport, it contains a bio-data page, digitized photo and security features, but only has four visa pages.
According to the government, Canadians can only get a temporary passport for the length of their travel, up to a maximum of one year, and it can't be extended for any reason.
There are four different kinds of passports
Did you know that there are four kinds of Canadian passports in total?
In addition to the temporary white passport and standard blue passport that most travellers will have, the travel document also comes in two other types, each with its own colour and purpose.
These include the red "diplomatic" passport, which is issued to Canadian diplomats, high-ranking Government of Canada officials and representatives and delegates of the Government of Canada, and the green "special" passport, which tells international border officials that the bearer is travelling on official business and representing Canada abroad, and is issued to Canadian senators, members of Parliament and people employed by the Government of Canada who are in a non-diplomatic capacity.
Which do you like the look of best?
It's one of the most expensive passports in the world
According to a study by Australian travel insurance comparison site Compare the Market AU, Canada's passport is one of the most costly on the globe, ranking among the top 10 most expensive passports in the world.
So just how much does it cost? A 10-year Canadian passport, which is the longest validity for the document that you can choose, costs $160, making it the seventh most expensive in the world, right behind Italy's 10-year passport, which costs 116 euros (or $170), and ahead of the U.K. passport, which costs 82.50 pounds, or $143.
The Canadian passport is a bit cheaper if you select the 5-year option, which costs $120. However, this means that you'd have to renew it again in five years.
This price also doesn't include additional fees that go into getting a new passport, which could include extra costs for faster delivery and the cost of passport photos.
It's granted by the Crown
Passports issued in Canada invoke the authority of the crown on their inside cover.
If you have the new Canadian passport, you'll find that the inside cover 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."
If you have the old version of the Canadian passport, however, you'll find the same message from the minister of foreign affairs, requested "in the name of Her Majesty the Queen."
It glows under UV light
Canada's passport pages are pretty enough under regular light. But try looking at them under ultraviolet light to see something totally different.
In the old Canadian passport book, the pages of the passport explode with neon colours when held under UV light, revealing hidden artwork that can't be seen with the naked eye, like the Parliament buildings lit up with fireworks, and Niagara Falls illuminated by a bright glowing moon.
The new passport features different art on its visa pages, including seasonal art like campfires and winter animals, but still change under UV light.
It contains a polycarbonate page
The ID page in the new Canadian passport.
Government of Canada
The new Canadian passport contains a brand new personal information page.
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 contains several versions of the holder's photo, as well as a kinegram with a snowflake on it that changes colours and appears to move when viewed from different angles.
It has a disappearing maple leaf
If you have the new Canadian passport, you can impress your friends with a disappearing maple leaf in the book that's like a magic trick.
The new Canadian passport, which was rolled out in 2023, contains a red maple leaf on the personal information page that incredibly disappears if you heat it by rubbing it with your finger. One minute it's there, and poof! It's gone.
According to the Government of Canada, the disappearing maple leaf is one of several new security features of the new passport that can be used to detect fraud and confirm that your passport is valid.
Other features include magnetized colour-shifting ink in the shape of a deer and snowflake on the first two pages, different colours of metallic foil maple leaves on the covers, a debossed maple leaf on the back, and a visible chip and antenna.
Now you know!
