Valid passports and other travel documents needed to come to Canada
When you come to Canada, you must travel with a valid passport or travel document.
Your passport or travel document is considered valid if it’s:
- legal
- not expired, and
- accepted by us (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
How long your passport needs to be valid
Check the expiry date on your passport. Depending on the program you’re applying for, you may want to renew your passport before you submit your application.
Visiting, working and studying temporarily
We can’t issue you a work permit, study permit or visitor record that is valid past the expiry date of your passport.
If you get a new passport after you arrive in Canada, you can apply to extend your stay.
Immigrating through Express Entry
If you’re applying through Express Entry, you should renew your passport if it expires within 6 months from the day you apply for permanent residence. Then, update your new passport information in your application. This will ensure it’s valid when we process your application.
Keep 1 page in your passport free
If you’re from a visa-required country, you need at least 1 free page in your passport or travel document. That’s where we’ll stick your visitor visa or permanent resident visa.
If you have a valid visa in an old passport, you may still be able to use it to travel to Canada.
Documents we don’t accept (unreliable travel documents)
The following documents are considered unreliable and are not valid for travel to Canada:
- any passport issued by Somalia
- non-machine readable passports issued by the Czech Republic
- temporary passports issued by the Republic of South Africa
- provisional passports issued by Venezuela