Travel documents for non-Canadians
Documents to support your identity
If you’re applying for a travel document as a non-Canadian, you need to submit:
- at least 1 valid document to support your identity
- You can submit the original or a copy of both sides.
- Remember that each photocopy must be signed and dated by your
- guarantor or
- signing official, if you used the statutory declaration instead of a guarantor form
What’s a signing official?
You use a signing official when you do not have a guarantor. The signing official completes a statutory declaration form instead of a guarantor form.
- additional documents if you’re changing your name (if applicable)
On this page
Requirements for your ID
To support your identity, your ID must:
- be valid
- include your
- name
- date of birth
- photo
- signature
- be issued by a federal, provincial, territorial or state government authority, or the equivalent abroad
If you’re applying by mail, we recommend sending photocopies of your ID. If you send photocopies:
- copy both sides of the ID
- have your guarantor or signing official sign them
- Learn how to submit your documents.
If your ID doesn’t have all the required information
You can include more than 1 ID if all of the required information isn’t on the same document.
To prove that each document belongs to you, they must share at least 1 piece of information, such as your name. This is so we can be sure they all belong to you.
If your ID doesn’t have a signature
We may accept it if there isn’t normally a signature on that particular type of ID.
If your ID doesn’t have a date of issue
If it was issued to you without one, you can leave this field blank on the application form.
Types of ID you can use
You can use any of the following types of ID alone or in combination to meet the above requirements:
- driver’s licence issued by a province or territory, or the equivalent abroad
- health card issued by a province or territory, or the equivalent abroad
- Certificate of Indian Status
- military ID
- foreign passport
- non-driver’s licence issued by a province or territory, or the equivalent abroad
- ID card issued by the federal government, or a provincial or territorial government, or the equivalent abroad
- employee identification issued by the federal government, or a provincial or territorial government, or the equivalent abroad
How to submit your ID
We recommend you submit photocopies. This will ensure you can use your original documents while we process your application.
Using photocopies as your ID
You must:
- copy both sides of the document
- have your guarantor or signing official sign and date each side of your photocopies
Using original documents as your ID
We’ll return them to you by mail. They may be sent back separately from your new travel document.