All eligible Canadians can now renew their passports online

The option to renew passports online is now open to all eligible Canadians.

Photo: La Presse canadienne / Sean Kilpatrick

Darren Major (new window) · CBC News ·

All eligible Canadian adults can now apply online to renew their passports, Immigration Minister Lena Diab announced on Tuesday.

Previously, Canadians could only renew online if their passport expires in the next six months or had already expired. Otherwise, they were required to apply in person.

"Eligible Canadians will no longer have to wait for an online application spot to become available, they will be able to begin their renewal online whenever it is convenient to do so", Diab said during a news conference in Vancouver.

Canadians can only apply online from within Canada and will need to upload a digital passport photo from a commercial photographer. Applicants can also digitally upload their supporting documentation.

The online eligibility expansion is the latest change to the passport application process that the government has made in recent years. Those changes came after passport offices became overwhelmed with applications as the government began to ease pandemic-related travel restrictions, resulting in a backlog that hobbled the system.