Types of passports and other travel documents
Canada issues about 5 million travel documents a year. Of these, 98% are regular (blue) passports.
There are:
- 4 types of passports for Canadians
- 3 types of other travel documents for refugees or stateless persons in Canada, or for Canadians abroad in urgent cases
The issuing office always decides how long the travel document is valid.
Canadian passports
Regular passport
We issue regular (blue) passports to Canadian citizens for casual travel, like vacations or business trips.
The regular passport has 38 pages and is valid for either 5 or 10 years, depending on the age of the passport holder:
- People 16 or older can apply for either a 5-year or 10-year passport.
- People who are 15 or younger are only issued 5-year passports.
In some situations, we might issue a passport that’s valid for less than 5 or 10 years.
Diplomatic passport
We issue diplomatic (burgundy) passports to:
- Canadian diplomats
- high-ranking Government of Canada officials
- representatives and delegates of the Government of Canada
You can use diplomatic passports for travel to:
- a post at a Canadian government office abroad
- international governmental organizations and conferences of a diplomatic nature
The diplomatic passport has 38 pages.
Special passport
We issue special (green) passports to:
- senators
- members of Parliament
- people employed by the Government of Canada travelling in a non-diplomatic capacity
- to a post at a Canadian government office abroad
- on an official mission
The special passport has 38 pages.
Temporary passport
Certain Canadian government offices abroad may issue temporary (white) passports:
- to Canadian citizens with an urgent and proven need for a passport
- for use while waiting to receive a regular, special or diplomatic passport
The temporary passport has 8 pages. It’s valid for a maximum of 1 year.
Canadian travel documents
Refugee travel document
We issue refugee travel documents (blue with 2 black diagonal lines across the upper left hand corner of the front cover) to people in Canada with protected person status. This includes:
- Convention refugees
- persons in need of protection
You can use a refugee travel document for travel to all countries, except your country of citizenship.
The refugee travel document has 38 pages.
Certificate of identity
We issue certificates of identity (grey) to permanent residents of Canada who either:
- are stateless, or
- can’t get a national passport or other travel document from any source for a valid reason
You can’t use a certificate of identity to travel to your country of citizenship.
The certificate of identity has 38 pages.
Emergency travel documents
Only Canadian government offices abroad may issue an emergency travel document. They are for Canadian citizens outside Canada in urgent situations who can’t get a temporary passport.
An emergency travel document with limited validity allows you to:
- return directly to Canada
- return to your country of residence, or
- travel to a Canadian government office abroad that offers full passport services
The emergency travel document is a folding booklet of 4 pages.