Common menu bar links
Passport Services Abroad
Most Canadian government offices abroad provide the full range of passport services. There are exceptions, including consulates headed by honorary consuls and others, where only limited-validity emergency passports are issued. The requirements for the issuance of passports overseas are the same as they are in Canada. Processing time varies. Canadian offices in the United States do not provide regular passport services. Canadians residing in the United States and/or Bermuda must submit their application form to the Passport Canada office in Gatineau. Use of a certified courier/traceable mail service will reduce the delivery time of your application and ensure the safety of your documents.
Transport companies, such as air, rail, and bus services, are required to ensure that all passengers travelling to Canada can produce valid, universally accepted travel documents. This includes Canadian citizens returning to Canada from abroad. Transport companies, especially international airlines, may be fined if they carry improperly documented travellers and are often liable to return those passengers to their point of origin.
A Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (CCC) is not a travel document and airlines are known not to accept it as such. Airlines are known to refuse boarding to dual national Canadian passengers returning to Canada, travelling on a passport that requires a visa to enter Canada, regardless of whether the passenger presents a valid CCC as proof of Canadian citizenship.
To avoid such problems, Canadian citizens, including dual nationals, are strongly advised to obtain a Canadian passport prior to initiating international travel and to use their Canadian passport at all times for international travel.
A Canadian passport is the only reliable and universally accepted travel and identification document for the purpose of international travel. It proves your admissibility to enter Canada.
The U.S. Visa Waiver Program requires visitors from various countries to have Machine Readable Passports to enter the U.S.; however, this requirement does not apply to Canadian citizens even if the Canadian passport is issued abroad.
Please consult the New U.S. Entry Requirements fact sheet for information on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
|
||||||||
