Canadian passport
Encyclopedia
A Canadian passport is a passport
issued to citizens of Canada
for the purpose of international travel; allowing the bearer to travel in foreign countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitating the process of securing assistance from Canadian consular officials
abroad, if necessary; and requesting the protection of the passport holder while abroad.
All Canadian passports are issued by Passport Canada
, a special branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and are valid for five years, except that those of children under age three are valid for three years. As of July 2009, 56.2% of Canadians held a valid Canadian passport. Although held by individuals, all Canadian passports remain property of Her Majesty in right of Canada (the Government of Canada
), as stated on the inside front cover of the booklet.
On April 7, 2010, Passport Canada announced that electronic passports, or e-passports
, will be issued to Canadian citizens in 2012. The use of e-passports will allow Canada to follow international standards and maintain the ease of international travel that Canadians currently enjoy. At the same time, Passport Canada will also start offering the option of a longer 10-year validity period.
, when the United States
demanded more secure identification from Canadians wishing to cross the border. They took the form of a Letter of Request from the Governor General
. These documents remained in use until, in 1915, Canadian passports were first issued in the British format, a ten section single sheet folder.
The modern form of the Canadian passport came about in 1921. At that time, Canadians were British subject
s, and Canada shared a common nationality code with the United Kingdom
; thus, Canadian passports were issued to those British subjects resident in or connected to Canada. This arrangement ended in 1947, when the Canadian Citizenship Act was granted Royal Assent
and the designation of Canadian citizenship
was created. As of July the following year, Canadian passports were issued to Canadian citizens only, and by 1985 the first machine-readable passports were distributed, in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization
standards.
In the 2008 federal budget
, Jim Flaherty
, Minister of Finance, announced that electronic passports would be introduced by 2011. Recently, the issue of electronic passport for its citizens will be pushed back to 2012 (see below for more details). A pilot project began in 2009, with e-passports being issued to special and diplomatic passport applicants.
, rather than an Act of Parliament
; they are issued in the name of the reigning monarch
, as expressed in the passport note. However, the authority to issue passports is granted to Passport Canada
, a Special Operating Agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, under the authority of the Canadian Passport Order, an Order in Council that specifies grounds for which Passport Canada can issue or renew a passport.
Applicants must complete the required forms, which include the necessity of two passport photos
and affirmation from a surety
. Rules regarding renewals of passports and the eligibility of guarantors were last updated October 1, 2007, whereafter applicants may renew the passport using a shorter application form if: they are resident in Canada when they apply; lived in Canada and were at least sixteen years of age at the time of their previous application; and are in possession of a Canadian passport that was issued under their current name after January 31, 2002, is valid for five years, and not damaged or reported lost or stolen. Further, a guarantor may be a Canadian who currently holds a valid, or no more than one year expired, five-year Canadian passport; has known the applicant for more than two years; is eighteen or more years old; and were sixteen years of age or older when they applied for their own passport. For citizens abroad, passport applications are forwarded back to a passport centre by the local embassies, high commissions or consulates.
Passport Canada may revoke a passport or refuse to issue or renew a passport on grounds set out in the Canadian Passport Order, including such grounds as failure to submit a complete application, misrepresentation in obtaining a passport, and criminality. However, whether a Canadian passport may be revoked or refused on the basis of national security concerns has been questioned. In July 2004, Abdurahman Khadr
was denied a Canadian passport by Governor General
Adrienne Clarkson
, on the explicit advice of her Foreign Affairs Minister
, Bill Graham, who stated the decision was "in the interest of the national security of Canada and the protection of Canadian troops in Afghanistan." The government invoked royal prerogative
in order to deny Khadr's passport, as national security was not at that time listed in the Canadian Passport Order as a ground for refusal, though, shortly thereafter, on September 22, 2004, section 10.1 was added to the Order, which allowed the Minister to revoke or refuse a passport due to national security concerns. Khadr sought judicial review
of the minister's decision to refuse his passport, and on June 8 of the following year, the Federal Court
ruled that the government did not have the power to refuse to issue Khadr's passport in the absence of specific authority set out in the Canadian Passport Order, but stated in obiter dicta that if the order were to be amended (as it had been after the fact), Khadr would likely not be able to challenge the revocation. In 2006, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, then Peter MacKay
, again denied Khadr's application, this time invoking section 10.1 of the amended Canadian Passport Order Section 10.1 was later challenged in Federal Court by Fateh Kamel
, whose passport had also been refused for national security reasons. On March 13, 2008, the Federal Court declared section 10.1 of the Passport Order to be unconstitutional and therefore invalid, though the court suspended its declaration of invalidity for six months in order to allow the government time to amend the order. The federal government launched an appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal and a ruling handed down on January 29, 2009 overturned the lower court decision in March 2008. The court unanimously agreed the denial of passport service on national grounds is in compliance with the Charter, citing the limitation clause as its main decision point. Kamel launched an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada
but the court declined to hear his case and thus ended the legality challenge to the Canadian Passport Order.
Today, there are six types of Canadian passports:
Regular Passport (navy cover): These documents are issued to citizens for occasional travel, such as vacations and business trips. They contain 24 pages. The maximum validity period varies with the age of the passport holder. Children (3 to 15 years of age) and adults (16 years of age or over) are issued passports with a maximum validity of 5 years; children (under 3 years of age) are issued passports valid for a maximum of 3 years.
Frequent Traveller Passport (navy cover): These are issued to frequent travellers, such as business people. These passports cost slightly more than a regular passport, containing 48 pages; $5 more for adults, $2 for children. The validity period for this passport is the same as for the regular passport.
Temporary Passport (white cover): These are issued on behalf of Passport Canada to Canadians with an urgent and proven need for an interim passport while abroad.
Emergency Passport (1 page): Emergency passports are one-use documents issued to Canadians for direct return to Canada or to another Canadian mission where full passport services may be obtained.
Special Passport (green cover): These are issued to people representing the Canadian government on official business, including Privy Councillors
, Members of Parliament
, provincial cabinet members, public servants, citizens nominated as official non-diplomatic delegates and Canadian Forces
members who are posted abroad. Since January 2009 special passports have been issued as electronic passports, in preparation of the full implementation of the ePassport program.
Diplomatic Passport (maroon cover): These are issued to Canadian diplomats, top ranking government officials (including lieutenant governors
and commissioners of territories), diplomatic courier
s, and private citizens nominated as official diplomatic delegates. Since January 2009 diplomatic passports have been issued as electronic passports, in preparation of the full implementation of the ePassport program.
and French
, Canada's two official languages. The standard passport is ID-3 size, 125 by 88 mm (4.9 by 3.5 in), and contains 24 pages, but can be issued in a 48-page format upon request for an additional fee.
New security features, similar to those on banknotes, have been added with increasing frequency since 2001. Microprinting
, holographic images, UV-visible imaging, watermark
s and other details have been implemented, particularly on the photo page. As well, the photo is now digitally printed directly on the paper (in both standard and UV-reactive ink); previously, the actual photo had been laminated inside the document.
The new e-passport
version will also display the international ePassport symbol on the front cover.
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.
and French
, the official languages of Canada
. The note inside of Canadian passports states:
On the inside of the back cover on passports issued after 2007, a logo is printed for the federal department of "Foreign Affairs Canada." However, there has never been a Department of Foreign Affairs in Canada; the Department of External Affairs was continued under the legal name Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in 1995. Legislation was introduced in the 38th Parliament
to legally separate DFAIT into two separate departments, but the legislation was defeated, though the Federal Identity Program allowed the departments to identify themselves by separate names. When the legislation was defeated, the Treasury Board revoked the authority, but, when prompted for comment, Passport Canada stated: "According to the Federal Identity Program
of the Treasury Board Secretariat, the applied title for the Department is as follows: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade/Ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada/Affaires étrangères et Commerce international Canada. However, Passport Canada has been permitted to keep using the previous name of the Department until the printed passport covers stock is exhausted."
's (PRC) modification to the requirements for the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong
, Macau
, the PRC will not issue visas to Canadian passport holders whose place of birth is inscribed as being Hong Kong HKG or Macau MAC. Accordingly, passports issued to Canadians born in Hong Kong or Macau now only list the place of birth, without an accompanying three-letter country code, unless upon request. Canadian citizens born in Jerusalem have their birthplace identified only by the city's name, with no national designation, due to the unresolved legal status of Jerusalem.
that would accompany the introduction of the 10-year validity biometric passport, now planned for 2013. The proposed fees are:
The 48-page and the infant passports will be discontinued.
printed a piece calling on Passport Canada to give individual Canadians the choice of which official language appeared first in their passports, English
or French
. The Passport Office initially claimed that this was not allowed under international norms, but it was shown that Belgian passport applications asked Belgian citizens which of their country's three official languages (Dutch, French or German) should appear first in their passports.
In 2008, Passport Canada announced that it would be issuing more secure, electronic passports to Canadian travellers starting in 2012. The e-passport will have an electronic chip encoded with the bearer's name, gender, and date and place of birth and a digital portrait of their face.
On April 7, 2010, Passport Canada announced that in 2012, Canada will begin issuing electronic passports, or ePassports
, to all its citizens. Passport Canada states that "the use of ePassports will allow Canada to follow international standards in the field of passport security to protect the nation's borders and maintain the ease of international travel that Canadians currently enjoy. At the same time, Passport Canada will start offering the option of a 10-year validity period as well as the current 5-year validity period."
Subsequently in September 2011, Passport Canada announced that the electronic passport will be ready by the end of 2012. The organization stated the significant delay was due to increased in passport application for revised entry policies to the United States in late 2000s and a supposedly lengthy consultation process. This has further cast doubts on introducing the biometric passport on time.
Under the United States Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
, as of January 23, 2007, all Canadians entering the United States
via air are required to present a valid passport or NEXUS card. As of June 1, 2009, all Canadian citizens (16 years or older) require a passport, NEXUS card or enhanced driver's license to enter the US via land or water.
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
issued to citizens of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for the purpose of international travel; allowing the bearer to travel in foreign countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitating the process of securing assistance from Canadian consular officials
Consular assistance
Consular assistance is help and advice provided by the diplomatic agents of a country to citizens of that country who are living or traveling overseas.Such assistance may take the form of:* provision of replacement travel documents...
abroad, if necessary; and requesting the protection of the passport holder while abroad.
All Canadian passports are issued by Passport Canada
Passport Canada
Passport Canada is an independent operating agency of the Government of Canada with bureaucratic oversight provided through Foreign Affairs Canada. It operates under the auspices of the Canadian Passport Order which defines the agency...
, a special branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and are valid for five years, except that those of children under age three are valid for three years. As of July 2009, 56.2% of Canadians held a valid Canadian passport. Although held by individuals, all Canadian passports remain property of Her Majesty in right of Canada (the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
), as stated on the inside front cover of the booklet.
On April 7, 2010, Passport Canada announced that electronic passports, or e-passports
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
, will be issued to Canadian citizens in 2012. The use of e-passports will allow Canada to follow international standards and maintain the ease of international travel that Canadians currently enjoy. At the same time, Passport Canada will also start offering the option of a longer 10-year validity period.
History
The first Canadian passports were issued in 1862, following the outbreak of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
demanded more secure identification from Canadians wishing to cross the border. They took the form of a Letter of Request from the Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
. These documents remained in use until, in 1915, Canadian passports were first issued in the British format, a ten section single sheet folder.
The modern form of the Canadian passport came about in 1921. At that time, Canadians were British subject
British subject
In British nationality law, the term British subject has at different times had different meanings. The current definition of the term British subject is contained in the British Nationality Act 1981.- Prior to 1949 :...
s, and Canada shared a common nationality code with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; thus, Canadian passports were issued to those British subjects resident in or connected to Canada. This arrangement ended in 1947, when the Canadian Citizenship Act was granted Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
and the designation of Canadian citizenship
Canadian nationality law
Canadian citizenship is typically obtained by birth in Canada, birth abroad when at least one parent is a Canadian citizen and was born or naturalized in Canada, or by adoption abroad by at least one Canadian citizen. It can also be granted to a permanent resident who lives in Canada for three out...
was created. As of July the following year, Canadian passports were issued to Canadian citizens only, and by 1985 the first machine-readable passports were distributed, in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
standards.
In the 2008 federal budget
2008 Canadian federal budget
The Canadian federal budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year was presented to the Canadian House of Commons by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on February 26, 2008....
, Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
, Minister of Finance, announced that electronic passports would be introduced by 2011. Recently, the issue of electronic passport for its citizens will be pushed back to 2012 (see below for more details). A pilot project began in 2009, with e-passports being issued to special and diplomatic passport applicants.
Rights to a passport
The issuance of passports falls under the Royal PrerogativeRoyal Prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the sovereign alone. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and...
, rather than an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
; they are issued in the name of the reigning monarch
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, as expressed in the passport note. However, the authority to issue passports is granted to Passport Canada
Passport Canada
Passport Canada is an independent operating agency of the Government of Canada with bureaucratic oversight provided through Foreign Affairs Canada. It operates under the auspices of the Canadian Passport Order which defines the agency...
, a Special Operating Agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, under the authority of the Canadian Passport Order, an Order in Council that specifies grounds for which Passport Canada can issue or renew a passport.
Applicants must complete the required forms, which include the necessity of two passport photos
Photo identification
Photo identification is generally used to define any form of identity document that includes a photograph of the holder.Some countries use a government issued card as a proof of age or citizenship.Types of photo ID cards include:*Passports...
and affirmation from a surety
Surety
A surety or guarantee, in finance, is a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults...
. Rules regarding renewals of passports and the eligibility of guarantors were last updated October 1, 2007, whereafter applicants may renew the passport using a shorter application form if: they are resident in Canada when they apply; lived in Canada and were at least sixteen years of age at the time of their previous application; and are in possession of a Canadian passport that was issued under their current name after January 31, 2002, is valid for five years, and not damaged or reported lost or stolen. Further, a guarantor may be a Canadian who currently holds a valid, or no more than one year expired, five-year Canadian passport; has known the applicant for more than two years; is eighteen or more years old; and were sixteen years of age or older when they applied for their own passport. For citizens abroad, passport applications are forwarded back to a passport centre by the local embassies, high commissions or consulates.
Passport Canada may revoke a passport or refuse to issue or renew a passport on grounds set out in the Canadian Passport Order, including such grounds as failure to submit a complete application, misrepresentation in obtaining a passport, and criminality. However, whether a Canadian passport may be revoked or refused on the basis of national security concerns has been questioned. In July 2004, Abdurahman Khadr
Abdurahman Khadr
Abdurahman Khadr is the third child of the Egyptian Canadian Khadr family, and was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba, after being detained in Afghanistan under suspicion of connections to Al-Qaeda...
was denied a Canadian passport by Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
, on the explicit advice of her Foreign Affairs Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada....
, Bill Graham, who stated the decision was "in the interest of the national security of Canada and the protection of Canadian troops in Afghanistan." The government invoked royal prerogative
Royal Prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the sovereign alone. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and...
in order to deny Khadr's passport, as national security was not at that time listed in the Canadian Passport Order as a ground for refusal, though, shortly thereafter, on September 22, 2004, section 10.1 was added to the Order, which allowed the Minister to revoke or refuse a passport due to national security concerns. Khadr sought judicial review
Judicial review
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
of the minister's decision to refuse his passport, and on June 8 of the following year, the Federal Court
Federal Court (Canada)
The Federal Court is a Canadian trial court that hears cases arising under certain areas of federal law. The Federal Court is a superior court with nationwide jurisdiction...
ruled that the government did not have the power to refuse to issue Khadr's passport in the absence of specific authority set out in the Canadian Passport Order, but stated in obiter dicta that if the order were to be amended (as it had been after the fact), Khadr would likely not be able to challenge the revocation. In 2006, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, then Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
, again denied Khadr's application, this time invoking section 10.1 of the amended Canadian Passport Order Section 10.1 was later challenged in Federal Court by Fateh Kamel
Fateh Kamel
An Algerian-Canadian, Fateh Kamel was arrested in 1999 on charges of supporting a terrorist plot against attacks against French targets in Paris, and was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment.He was released early for good behaviour, and returned to Canada....
, whose passport had also been refused for national security reasons. On March 13, 2008, the Federal Court declared section 10.1 of the Passport Order to be unconstitutional and therefore invalid, though the court suspended its declaration of invalidity for six months in order to allow the government time to amend the order. The federal government launched an appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal and a ruling handed down on January 29, 2009 overturned the lower court decision in March 2008. The court unanimously agreed the denial of passport service on national grounds is in compliance with the Charter, citing the limitation clause as its main decision point. Kamel launched an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
but the court declined to hear his case and thus ended the legality challenge to the Canadian Passport Order.
Types of passports
Before 1947, there were two types of passports: those issued to people who were born British subjects and those issued to people naturalized as British subjects.Today, there are six types of Canadian passports:
Regular Passport (navy cover): These documents are issued to citizens for occasional travel, such as vacations and business trips. They contain 24 pages. The maximum validity period varies with the age of the passport holder. Children (3 to 15 years of age) and adults (16 years of age or over) are issued passports with a maximum validity of 5 years; children (under 3 years of age) are issued passports valid for a maximum of 3 years.
Frequent Traveller Passport (navy cover): These are issued to frequent travellers, such as business people. These passports cost slightly more than a regular passport, containing 48 pages; $5 more for adults, $2 for children. The validity period for this passport is the same as for the regular passport.
Temporary Passport (white cover): These are issued on behalf of Passport Canada to Canadians with an urgent and proven need for an interim passport while abroad.
Emergency Passport (1 page): Emergency passports are one-use documents issued to Canadians for direct return to Canada or to another Canadian mission where full passport services may be obtained.
Special Passport (green cover): These are issued to people representing the Canadian government on official business, including Privy Councillors
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, provincial cabinet members, public servants, citizens nominated as official non-diplomatic delegates and Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
members who are posted abroad. Since January 2009 special passports have been issued as electronic passports, in preparation of the full implementation of the ePassport program.
Diplomatic Passport (maroon cover): These are issued to Canadian diplomats, top ranking government officials (including lieutenant governors
Lieutenant Governor (Canada)
In Canada, a lieutenant governor is the viceregal representative in a provincial jurisdiction of the Canadian monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, who resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United Kingdom...
and commissioners of territories), diplomatic courier
Diplomatic courier
A diplomatic courier is an official who transports diplomatic bags as sanctioned under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Couriers are granted diplomatic immunity and are thereby protected by the receiving state from arrest and detention when performing their work...
s, and private citizens nominated as official diplomatic delegates. Since January 2009 diplomatic passports have been issued as electronic passports, in preparation of the full implementation of the ePassport program.
Physical appearance
Regular passports are deep navy blue, with the Royal Arms of Canada emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "PASSPORT•PASSEPORT" are inscribed below the coat of arms, and "CANADA" above. The bilingual cover is indicative of the textual portions of Canadian passports being printed in both EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Canada's two official languages. The standard passport is ID-3 size, 125 by 88 mm (4.9 by 3.5 in), and contains 24 pages, but can be issued in a 48-page format upon request for an additional fee.
New security features, similar to those on banknotes, have been added with increasing frequency since 2001. Microprinting
Microprinting
Microprinting is one of many anti-counterfeiting techniques used most often on currency and bank checks, as well as various other items of value. Microprinting involves printing very small text, usually too small to read with the naked eye, onto the note or item. Microprint is frequently hidden in...
, holographic images, UV-visible imaging, watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
s and other details have been implemented, particularly on the photo page. As well, the photo is now digitally printed directly on the paper (in both standard and UV-reactive ink); previously, the actual photo had been laminated inside the document.
The new e-passport
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
version will also display the international ePassport symbol on the front cover.
Data page
- Photo of the passport holder
- Type (P)
- Issuing Country (listed as "CAN" for "Canada")
- Passport No.
- Surname
- Given Names
- Nationality (Canadian/Canadienne)
- Date of Birth
- Sex
- Place of Birth (The city and country are listed, even if born outside Canada)
- Date of Issue
- Issuing Authority
- Date of Expiry
- Signature of the passport holder
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.
Passport note
The passports contain a note from the issuing authority addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that they be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The textual portions of Canadian passports is printed in both EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, the official languages of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The note inside of Canadian passports states:
- In EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
:
-
- The Minister of Foreign AffairsMinister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada....
of Canada requests, in the name of Her Majesty the Queen, all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.- In FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
:
- In French
- Le ministre des Affaires étrangères du Canada, au nom de Sa Majesté la Reine, prie les autorités intéressées de bien vouloir accorder libre passage au titulaire de ce passeport, de même que l'aide et la protection dont il aurait besoin.
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs
On the inside of the back cover on passports issued after 2007, a logo is printed for the federal department of "Foreign Affairs Canada." However, there has never been a Department of Foreign Affairs in Canada; the Department of External Affairs was continued under the legal name Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in 1995. Legislation was introduced in the 38th Parliament
38th Canadian Parliament
The 38th Canadian Parliament was in session from October 4, 2004 until November 29, 2005. The membership was set by the 2004 federal election on June 28, 2004, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections, but due to the seat distribution, those few changes significantly...
to legally separate DFAIT into two separate departments, but the legislation was defeated, though the Federal Identity Program allowed the departments to identify themselves by separate names. When the legislation was defeated, the Treasury Board revoked the authority, but, when prompted for comment, Passport Canada stated: "According to the Federal Identity Program
Federal Identity Program
The Federal Identity Program is the Canadian government's corporate identity program. The purpose of the FIP is to clearly identify each program and service of the government or the government of Canada in general. Managed by the Treasury Board Secretariat, this program, and the government's...
of the Treasury Board Secretariat, the applied title for the Department is as follows: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade/Ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada/Affaires étrangères et Commerce international Canada. However, Passport Canada has been permitted to keep using the previous name of the Department until the printed passport covers stock is exhausted."
Place of birth
Passport applicants may request, in writing, that Passport Canada not list the country of birth on their data page. In response to the government of the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's (PRC) modification to the requirements for the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, the PRC will not issue visas to Canadian passport holders whose place of birth is inscribed as being Hong Kong HKG or Macau MAC. Accordingly, passports issued to Canadians born in Hong Kong or Macau now only list the place of birth, without an accompanying three-letter country code, unless upon request. Canadian citizens born in Jerusalem have their birthplace identified only by the city's name, with no national designation, due to the unresolved legal status of Jerusalem.
Fees (as of Jan. 2011)
| Document | Adult (16 and over) | Children (3 to 15) | Children (under 3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-page passport | $87 | $37 | $22 |
| 48-page passport | $92 | $39 | $24 |
Proposed fee increases
Passport Canada has published a fee proposalthat would accompany the introduction of the 10-year validity biometric passport, now planned for 2013. The proposed fees are:
| Document | Adult (16 and over) | Children (0 to 15) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 year 36-page passport | $160 | -- |
| 5 year 36-page passport | $120 | $57 |
The 48-page and the infant passports will be discontinued.
Changes
In September, 2003, Le DevoirLe Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
printed a piece calling on Passport Canada to give individual Canadians the choice of which official language appeared first in their passports, English
Canadian English
Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 24 million Canadians , and more than 28 million are fluent in the language...
or French
Canadian French
Canadian French is an umbrella term referring to the varieties of French spoken in Canada. French is the mother tongue of nearly seven million Canadians, a figure constituting roughly 22% of the national population. At the federal level it has co-official status alongside English...
. The Passport Office initially claimed that this was not allowed under international norms, but it was shown that Belgian passport applications asked Belgian citizens which of their country's three official languages (Dutch, French or German) should appear first in their passports.
In 2008, Passport Canada announced that it would be issuing more secure, electronic passports to Canadian travellers starting in 2012. The e-passport will have an electronic chip encoded with the bearer's name, gender, and date and place of birth and a digital portrait of their face.
On April 7, 2010, Passport Canada announced that in 2012, Canada will begin issuing electronic passports, or ePassports
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
, to all its citizens. Passport Canada states that "the use of ePassports will allow Canada to follow international standards in the field of passport security to protect the nation's borders and maintain the ease of international travel that Canadians currently enjoy. At the same time, Passport Canada will start offering the option of a 10-year validity period as well as the current 5-year validity period."
Subsequently in September 2011, Passport Canada announced that the electronic passport will be ready by the end of 2012. The organization stated the significant delay was due to increased in passport application for revised entry policies to the United States in late 2000s and a supposedly lengthy consultation process. This has further cast doubts on introducing the biometric passport on time.
Visa free access to the United States
Previously, Canadians were able to enter the United States by presenting a birth certificate (or other proof of Canadian citizenship) along with a form of photo identification (such as a driver's licence or provincial health card). In many cases United States border agents would accept a verbal declaration of citizenship.Under the United States Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a law of the United States that requires all travelers to show a valid passport or other approved secure document when traveling to the U.S. from areas within the Western Hemisphere. The purpose, according to the U.S. Department of State and U.S...
, as of January 23, 2007, all Canadians entering the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
via air are required to present a valid passport or NEXUS card. As of June 1, 2009, all Canadian citizens (16 years or older) require a passport, NEXUS card or enhanced driver's license to enter the US via land or water.
Notable cases of misuse
- In 1940 Frank Jacson, a Spanish national, traveled to Mexico City on a fraudulent Canadian Passport to assassinate Leon TrotskyLeon TrotskyLeon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
- In 1961 Konon MolodyKonon MolodyKonon Trofimovich Molody was a Soviet intelligence officer, better known in the West as Gordon Arnold Lonsdale. He was an illegal resident spy during the Cold War and the mastermind of the Portland Spy Ring....
used a fraudulently obtained passport of deceased Canadian Arnold Lonsdale. Using this identity he engaged in espionage activities in the United Kingdom. - In 1968 James Earl RayJames Earl RayJames Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
used a Canadian Passport, obtained using a forged baptismal certificate in the name of Ramon George Sneyd, to temporarily escape capture following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. - In 1973, MossadMossadThe Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agents killed a waiter in NorwayLillehammer affairThe Lillehammer affair was the killing by Mossad agents of a Moroccan waiter, Ahmed Bouchiki, in Lillehammer, Norway on July 21, 1973. The Israeli agents had mistaken their victim for Ali Hassan Salameh, the chief of operations for Black September...
in the mistaken belief that he was a senior operative for Black SeptemberBlack September (group)The Black September Organization was a Palestinian paramilitary group, founded in 1970. It was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and officials, and fatal shooting of a West German policeman, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, their most publicized event...
. The use of false Canadian passports by the killers prompted a diplomatic crisis in relations between Canada and Israel, resulting in a commitment by Israel not to misuse Canadian passports in the future. It also resulted in a redesign of the Canadian passport to improve its security features. - In 1997, Israeli secret service personnel again botched an assassination bid while using 'Canadian passports'. The attempt against Khaled MashalKhaled MashalKhaled Mashal, also known as Khaled Mashaal, Khaled Meshaal, and Khalid Mish'al, has been the main leader of Hamas since the assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in 2004. In addition, Mashal heads the Syrian branch of the political bureau of Hamas.Mashal was born in Silwad, a village north of...
in JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
resulted in the arrest of the would-be killers. The Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd AxworthyLloyd AxworthyLloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...
eventually received an apology and a written assurance that Mossad would desist from using Canadian passports. - Ahmed RessamAhmed RessamAhmed Ressam is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived in Montreal, Canada.He was convicted of attempting to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999, as part of the foiled 2000 millennium attack plots...
, the Algerian al-QaedaAl-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
Millenium Bomber who attempted to blow up Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999/2000, evaded deportation by Canada and travelled freely to and from Canada by using a Canadian passport he obtained in March 1998 by submitting a fraudulent baptismal certificate; he used a stolen blank certificate, filling it in with a fictitious name. - In 2007, a former Canadian bureaucrat pleaded guilty to selling at least 10 fraudulent passports to individuals overseas.
- A Russian spy involved in the Illegals ProgramIllegals ProgramThe Illegals Program, as it was called by the United States Department of Justice, was a network of Russian sleeper agents under non-official cover whose investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation culminated in the arrest of ten agents and a prisoner swap between Russia and the United...
used a Canadian passport to travel to the United States to deliver payment to Russian sleeper agents. The passport was issued to a man known as Christopher Metsos, however, following the public revelation of the spy ring Passport Canada revoked the document, saying it had been issued by the Canadian High Commission in Johannesburg, South Africa to a man assuming the identity of a deceased Canadian child.
See also
- Passport CanadaPassport CanadaPassport Canada is an independent operating agency of the Government of Canada with bureaucratic oversight provided through Foreign Affairs Canada. It operates under the auspices of the Canadian Passport Order which defines the agency...
- Canadian Passport Order
- Canadian nationality lawCanadian nationality lawCanadian citizenship is typically obtained by birth in Canada, birth abroad when at least one parent is a Canadian citizen and was born or naturalized in Canada, or by adoption abroad by at least one Canadian citizen. It can also be granted to a permanent resident who lives in Canada for three out...
- Visa requirements for Canadian citizensVisa requirements for Canadian citizensAccording to the "Henley Visa Restrictions Index 2011," Canadian citizens can travel to 164 countries and territories visa-free or with visa on arrival. Countries or territories that require prior application for a visa are also mentioned below....
- Visa policy of CanadaVisa policy of CanadaCanada's visa policy is mostly governed by the relationship these countries have with Canada. Many Commonwealth nations' citizens are exempted from the need for visas when visiting or in transit to Canada. Those countries requiring visas to enter Canada often have immigration or diplomatic issues...
- List of diplomatic missions of Canada
External links
- Official site
- History of Canadian Passports
- Simplified Passport Renewal Program
- New Passport Guarantors Policy
- Travel Reports & Warnings - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- Directory of Canadian Government Offices Abroad - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- Images of a well-travelled 1974 Canadian passport from www.passportland.com