Apply for a travel document for non-Canadians: About the process
Refugee travel document and certificate of identity services are available for urgent travel only
If you submitted an application for a refugee travel document or certificate of identity, we’ll process it when service returns to normal.
If you need to travel urgently, find out how to get urgent travel document services.
Floods in British Columbia
If you’re directly affected by the floods, you may be able to get
- free replacement of documents that are lost, damaged, destroyed or inaccessible due to the floods
- urgent processing and a refund for an application you’ve submitted because of the floods
Processing time
Varies by service
Check processing times for travel documents
There are 2 types of travel documents non-Canadians can use when travelling:
- refugee travel document
- certificate of identity
They are issued to
- Convention refugees
- protected persons
- stateless persons
- permanent residents of Canada in special circumstances
The issuing office decides how long your travel document is valid for.
You can’t use a travel document to go to your country of citizenship. Some countries may also not accept your travel document as a valid piece of identification.
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