Guide 5529 - Applying for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) 

You can now apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) online through the Permanent Residence Portal.

You can benefit from:

• Applying anytime, 24/7
• Quick and easy upload of all your information, including payment
• No printing required

Use this application if you are a permanent resident (PR) outside Canada who does not have a valid Permanent Resident card (PR card) to return to Canada.

The permanent resident travel document (PRTD) is a temporary official document proving your status as a PR in Canada. It proves to transportation companies that you’re allowed to travel to Canada as a permanent resident if you don’t have a valid PR card in your possession.

You need a PRTD if:

• you are a PR outside Canada without a valid PR card
• you plan to travel to Canada by any commercial transporter, such as a plane, train, boat or bus and
• you need to apply to renew or replace your PR card when you return to Canada

 If you’re travelling in a private vehicle such as a car, truck, motorcycle or recreational vehicle that you own, borrow or rent, you can use your PR card, PRTD or other documents to return to Canada.

These documents are not valid for travel to Canada:

• Record of Landing (IMM 1000)
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688)

To apply for a PRTD you need to:

• prove who you are;
• confirm your PR status; and
• meet the residency obligation of a permanent resident.

Use the Document Checklist (IMM 5644) (opens in a new tab) to make sure you have all the documents needed. Send the checklist with your application.

Who may use this application?

You may use this application to apply for a PRTD if you don't have a valid PR card to return to Canada.

You cannot apply for a PR card while overseas. Once you receive your PRTD, you can travel to Canada. You can apply for a PR card online through the Permanent Residence Portal once you have returned to Canada .

 Important information: A PRTD is issued for a single entry or multiple entry to Canada. If you meet the residency obligation and are requesting a multiple entry PRTD, you may include a cover letter that explains your circumstances with your application for consideration.

Note: Multiple entry PRTDs cannot extend beyond the expiry date of your passport.

Are you eligible?

To be eligible for a PRTD, you must:

• be a permanent resident outside Canada;
• confirm your PR status;
• not be in possession of a valid PR card;
• meet the residency obligation of a permanent resident;
• not be a Canadian citizen;
• not be a permanent resident who wants to voluntarily give up (renounce) their PR status, and
• not have lost your PR status.

What documents do I need?

Use the Document Checklist (IMM 5644) (opens in a new tab) to confirm which documents you need.

Include the completed document checklist with your application.

 Important information: If any of the required documents are missing, or copies are not clear, your application will be returned to you.

Note: We may ask for more documents at any time while we are processing your application. If you do not submit the requested documents, there will be delays in processing.

You must complete and submit these documents:

• Copy of your current and valid passport.
• Copies of all pages of the passport(s) or travel document(s) used in the past five (5) years immediately before the application, including your valid passport or travel document. Do not send original documents, as they will not be returned to you. Please ensure these are legible, to avoid delays in processing.
• Proof showing that you have met the residency obligation in the past five (5) years immediately before the application or since becoming a PR if it has been less than 5 years. Please refer to Appendix A: Residency Obligation.
• Fees: Copy of the receipt showing the amount paid.

Additional forms and supporting documents to include, if they apply:

• Authorization to travel for minors – Provide parent or legal guardian permission to travel and documents giving consent for children to travel as unaccompanied minors.

  Note: Children under 18 years of age who are travelling alone must carry written information about the person who will be responsible for them. If a child in this application is under a custody order or is travelling with one parent, you must provide proof of custody or the other parent's consent for the trip. Children travelling without their custodial parent(s) need a letter of permission to travel from the non-accompanying parent(s).

• To be considered on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, include supporting documents that support your request to keep your permanent residence. See the "Humanitarian and compassionate grounds" section of the instruction guide for more information.

You’ll fill out this digital form online through the Permanent Residence Portal

• Application for a Permanent Resident Card or Permanent Resident Travel Document (IMM 5444E)

You must type your full name exactly as shown on your passport to digitally sign your application.

Note: If you cannot apply online and require accommodations, including for accessibility reasons, you can apply by paper.

If you need more space, include another sheet of paper with your application and at the top of the page, print your name and the number of the question you are answering clearly in black.

You must also complete and submit the following forms:

If you are applying online, you will fill out and upload these PDF forms into the portal. If you are applying by paper you will need to complete these PDF forms and include it with your mailed application.

• Document Checklist [IMM 5644] (opens in a new tab)

Additional forms (if they apply):

• Use of a Representative [IMM 5476] (opens in a new tab), or
  • you and your immigration representative must sign this by hand
• Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual [IMM 5475] (opens in a new tab)

Warning: It is a serious crime to provide false or misleading information on these forms. We may verify your responses

Technical issues

If you’re having technical issues with the portal, contact us using the web form

• under type of application/enquiry, choose technical difficulties from the drop-down menu
• in the text box, specify what you’re applying for
• upload screenshots from your account that show us
  • the page where you’re having problems
  • the error message(s) you get

If you need to upload a number of images, find out how to combine them into 1 document.

Visit the Pay your fees page for instructions on how to complete payment online.

In order to retrieve payment instructions on the webpage, select the country you are paying from, then under the application you are submitting select “permanent residence,” and under the document you are applying for select “permanent resident travel document.”

You must include the payment receipt with your application.

The processing fee will not be refunded:

• once we have started processing your application, or
• if your application is refused.

If you apply online

When applying online, submit your application and all supporting documents through the Permanent Residence Portal.

If you submit a paper application

If you choose to submit your application on paper, and the country you’re applying from supports paper applications, submit your application to your nearest visa application centre (VAC).

In a sealed envelope, submit:

• all supporting documents;
• your completed Application for a Permanent Resident Card or Permanent Resident Travel Document (IMM 5444) (opens in a new tab); and
• the Document Checklist (IMM 5644) (opens in a new tab).

You must provide all information and documents when you submit your application.

To find out where to submit your application, visit Apply for a permanent resident travel document.

 If you are applying online and your request is urgent, check “Yes, my request is urgent” in the portal.

If you are applying on paper and requesting urgent processing, write "Urgent" on your envelope.

Provide your date of travel and include a supporting document explaining why.

• You must show that you will be travelling within the next 5 days for one of these reasons:
  • your own serious illness;
  • the serious illness or death of a family member;
  • lost/stolen Permanent Resident card while on temporary travel outside of Canada
  • you are in a crisis, emergency, or a vulnerable situation;
  • other

• You must include all the following documents to show you need urgent processing:
  • a letter explaining the reason for the urgency with your date of travel; and
  • proof of urgency (i.e. a doctor's note, death certificate, etc.)

You must provide the English or French translation for any documents that are not English or French. See the section translation of documents.

Note: If you do not send all this information, we may not process your application urgently. If you qualify, we can't guarantee that you will get your PRTD on time.

Calculating days present in Canada

You must meet the residency obligation to qualify for a PRTD.

If you have been a permanent resident for five (5) years or more

• you must have been physically present in Canada for a minimum of 730 days within the five (5) years immediately before you apply for a PRTD.

If you have been a permanent resident for less than five (5) years

• you must show that you will be able to meet the minimum of 730 days of physical presence in Canada within five (5) years of the date you became a permanent resident.

Supporting documents showing that you meet the residency obligation

• You must provide copies of 2 pieces of evidence that can show you have met the residency obligation in Canada in the five (5) years immediately before the application or since becoming a PR if it has been less than five (5) years. Some examples include :
  • employment records or pay stubs;
  • bank statements;
  • Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notice of Assessment for the five (5) years immediately before the application
  • evidence that you received benefits from Canadian government programs;
  • rental agreements;
  • club memberships;
  • or any other documents that prove you met your residency obligation.

 Do not send original documents, as they will not be returned to you.

Travel journal

Record your trips outside Canada. It will help you fill out your application.

Time spent outside Canada

If you were outside Canada for more than 1095 days, you may count days you spent outside Canada toward the days required for you to meet the residency obligation in these cases:

Situation A. Employment outside Canada

You may count each day you worked outside Canada if your employment meets these requirements:

• you are an employee of, or under contract to:
  • a Canadian business
  • the public service of Canada
  • a province or territory and
• as a term of your employment or contract, you are assigned on a full-time basis to:
  • a position outside Canada
  • an affiliated enterprise outside Canada or
  • a client of the Canadian business or the public service outside Canada

For this application, a Canadian business is defined as:

• a corporation that is incorporated under the laws of Canada or of a province and that has an ongoing operation in Canada
• an enterprise that:
  • has an ongoing operation in Canada
  • is able to generate revenue
  • is carried out in anticipation of profit
  • in which a majority of voting or ownership interests is held by Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or Canadian businesses as defined above or
• an organization or enterprise created by the laws of Canada or a province

Supporting documents:

• You must provide a letter signed by an official of the business that confirms:
  • the position and title of the signing official;
  • the nature of the business and how it fits the description of a Canadian business (see definition above);
  • details of your assignment or contract outside Canada such as:
    • length of the assignment;
    • confirmation that you are a full-time employee of the "Canadian business" working abroad on a full-time basis as a term of your employment, or that you are on contract working abroad on a full-time basis as a term of your contract; and
    • a description or copy of the position profile regarding the assignment or contract abroad;
  • that you will continue working for the employer in Canada after your assignment ends; and
  • that the business was not created mainly for the purpose of meeting your residency obligation.
• You may also include:
  • articles of incorporation and business licences
  • partnership agreements or corporate annual reports
  • corporate Canadian Income Tax Notices of Assessment or financial statements
  • copies of the Employee Assignment Agreement or Contract
  • copies of any agreements between the Canadian business and the business or client outside Canada concerning your assignment to that client or business
  • pay statements
  • Canadian Income Tax Notice of Assessment for the five years immediately before the application
  • T4 slips
  • any other proof you want us to consider

Situation B. Accompanying a Canadian citizen outside Canada

You may count each day you accompanied a Canadian citizen outside Canada as long as this person is your spouse, common-law partner or parent (if you were a child under 19 years of age before October 24, 2017 or under 22 years of age after October 24, 2017).

Proof needed

You must provide supporting documents to prove that:

• The person you are accompanying is a Canadian citizen; and
• you are the spouse, common-law partner or child of that person.

Supporting documents may include:

• Mandatory:
  • all passports or other travel documents that the person you are accompanying used in the five (5) years before the application;
  • documents showing the citizenship of the person you are accompanying, including the date the person became a Canadian citizen;
  • proof of the residential addresses of the person you are accompanying for the five (5) years before the application;
  • marriage licence or proof of common-law partnership (if you are accompanying a spouse or common-law partner);
  • child's birth certificate, baptismal document, or adoption or legal guardianship document (if you are accompanying a parent);
• You may also include:
  • Canadian Income Tax Notice of Assessment (NOA) for the past two (2) years
  • school or employment records;
  • association or club memberships;
  • any other documents you want us to consider.

Situation C. Accompanying a permanent resident outside Canada

You may count each day you accompanied a permanent resident outside Canada as long as:

• the person you accompanied is your spouse, common-law partner or parent (if you were a child under 19 years of age before October 24, 2017 or under 22 years of age after October 24, 2017); and
• the person was employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or in the public service of Canada or of a province or territory during the time you accompanied them.

Proof needed

You must provide supporting documents to prove that:

• The person you are accompanying is a permanent resident;
• You are the spouse, common-law partner or child of that person; and
• The permanent resident you are accompanying meets the residency obligation.

Supporting documents may include:

• Mandatory:
  • documents showing the person you are accompanying meets the residency obligation;
  • all passports or other travel documents the person you are accompanying used in the five (5) years before the application
  • marriage licence or proof of common-law partnership (if you are accompanying a permanent resident spouse or common-law partner);
  • child's birth certificate, baptismal document, or adoption or legal guardianship document (if you are accompanying a permanent resident parent);
• You may also include:
  • School or employment records;
  • Canadian Income Tax Notice of Assessment;
  • association or club memberships;
  • any other documents you want us to consider.