While normally it can take weeks for the Canadian Passport to be issued, you can actually get it faster if you have legitimate reason for urgent travel.
Here is a quick guide that will help you get your Canadian passport FAST!
How to qualify for priority processing?
To be prioritized for your Canadian Passport to be processed faster than normal timelines; you will need to have evidence that you will be traveling soon!
Evidence for your upcoming travel plans could be
- Travel tickets (air / bus / cruise) – Agent might ask for proof of payment.
- In case you are traveling by car, you can use your hotel bookings as evidence as well.
- Illness or recent death of family member.
In certain cases such as recent employment requiring travel you might not have tickets booked already (since employer might ask for passport before booking). In such cases, you can ask your Employer to provide you with a letter showing your intent to travel for business/employment purposes.
How to apply for urgent or emergency processing?
Do NOT apply for urgent/emergency processing by MAIL.
The recommendation is to go to the Passport Service Center (Service Canada) near you and apply for your Canadian passport in-person. An appointment for urgent/emergency passport is NOT required.
What documents are required for passport application?
For most passport applications you would need to make sure you have the following –
- Adult application form
- Proof of citizenship
- Passport photos
- References/Guarantor
It is recommended that you evaluate your situation using ircc service as depending on your exact situation, certain requirements can change.
You will need to take all the documents required for your passport application AS well as proof of urgent travel. If you don’t have the evidence, your request for priority processing might get rejected.
How fast can you get your Canadian passport?
Your case agent will determine if you need urgent or emergency processing based on your travel plans and advice you to apply accordingly. Usually they will let you know the date when you would be able to pick up your passport.
Here is the expected processing times for each
- Urgent pickup : next business day
- Express pickup: 2 to 9 business days
In certain situations, you might be able to get it processed even on a statutory holiday.
Example – When I went to apply for my passport, I had to travel in the next 2-3 weeks. So I informed the agent at the desk that I needed priority processing. They reviewed my evidence and informed me that I could go for express pickup and gave me a date on when I would be able to pickup my passport.
Additional fees $50 for express pick-up and $110 for urgent pick-up apply.
Hopefully this guide will help you get your Canadian passport processed faster than the usual timeline. Feel free to share your experience if you have had any issues while getting your passport and would like to share that with others.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
