Canada Lifts Cap on Online Passport Renewals

A Canadian passport sits on a suitcase in Ottawa on Jan. 17, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

All eligible Canadians can now renew their passports online following Ottawa’s decision to remove the cap on the number of Canadians permitted to apply for online passport renewals.

The previous 2,000 people per-day cap has been removed effective immediately for all eligible adult Canadians applying for a passport from within Canada, Immigration Minister Lena Diab announced during a July 28 press conference.

“That means eligible Canadians will no longer have to wait for an online application spot to become available,” Diab told reporters in Vancouver. “They will be able to begin their renewal online whenever it is convenient for them to do so.”

Canadians will need to digitally upload their supporting documentation as well as a digital passport photo taken in person by a commercial photographer, Diab said. Selfies, scanned prints, or photos using AI or filters will not be accepted.

Canadians can still submit their applications in person or through the mail if they prefer, she added.

The online eligibility expansion comes after Ottawa introduced a “30 days or free” guarantee for Canadian passport and travel document processing on April 1. Diab billed the latest announcement as a way to make people’s lives more convenient.

The current change applies only to Canadians 16 or older, but the minister said it could be expanded to include children and Canadians applying abroad in the future.

“We will continue to monitor how this goes on in the next number of days, weeks, and months as we continue to improve, perhaps adding children, perhaps adding populations that are not Canada,” she said.

The changes come amid anticipation that the demand for passport renewals will continue to rise.

Minister of jobs and families parliamentary secretary Annie Koutrakis told reporters that approximately 4.6 million passport applications are expected to be submitted in 2026, an increase from 3.8 million in the previous year.

She said nearly two million of those passport applications are for individuals eligible to submit them online, and the change means they could potentially avoid going to a Service Canada office.

Who Can Renew Online

The requirements to apply online are different from the ones for applying in person or by mail, the government said in an information sheet.

It said Canadians need to meet certain requirements before creating an account to submit online.

Applications can only be made to renew a passport not to apply for a first-time document. Canadians can only apply online if their passport is set to expire within six months or is currently expired.

“If your passport expires in more than six months, you can’t renew online,” the sheet said.

Applicants must also have been 16 or older when they applied for their current passport.

The full list of requirements can be viewed here.