Canada just made passport renewal fully online. Your kids still can't use it.
Canada removed the cap on online passport renewals on July 28, 2026. Most adults will never fill in a paper form again. Children under 16 were left out entirely.
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On July 28, 2026, the Government of Canada removed the cap on online passport renewals. What had been a limited service is now the standard route: every eligible adult whose home and mailing address are in Canada can renew a passport entirely online, without printing anything.
It is a genuinely good change, and it is worth being blunt about who it helps.
If this is you, stop reading and go renew online
You can renew online if all of the following are true:
- You are 16 or older
- Your home and mailing address are in Canada
- Your most recent passport was issued within the past 15 years
- It is expired, or expires within the next six months
- You can upload a digital photo taken by a commercial photographer
That is most adults. Processing is targeted at 20 business days, plus about five days in the mail. No guarantor, no references, no form to fill in by hand.
Go to the official renewal service. You do not need us, and you should not pay anyone to prepare a form you are not required to fill in.
The part that did not change
Online renewal is unavailable to three groups: people living outside Canada, people whose passports were damaged, seized or surrendered, and anyone under 16.
That last exclusion matters more than it sounds, because of a rule that surprises almost every parent who meets it:
A Canadian child's passport cannot be renewed. Ever.
Not online. Not on paper. There is no renewal path for children at all. When a child's passport expires, you file a brand new application, form PPTC 155, exactly as if they had never held one. A child passport is issued for a maximum of five years and cannot be extended.
So the July 28 change has quietly created a split inside the same family. A parent renewing their own passport now uploads a photo and waits. That same parent, renewing the same trip's passport for their eight-year-old, downloads a nine-page PDF and works out guarantor eligibility by hand.
What a child application actually involves
Every time, from scratch:
- Proof of the child's Canadian citizenship
- Details for both parents or the legal guardian, plus any custody, mobility or access orders
- A guarantor who has known the applying parent for at least two years and holds a valid Canadian passport
- Two references, on top of the guarantor
- Two identical photos meeting the official specification
- The applicable fee
One rule catches people out constantly: the parent filling in the form cannot be the guarantor on it. The other parent can sign, if they qualify. If neither does, you need someone else entirely.
When your child turns 16
They move onto the adult track. Their first application at 16 or over is a new adult application (PPTC 153), not a renewal, because there is no prior adult passport to renew. After that one, they are in the same online renewal system as everyone else.
In practice that means most families have one child passport application left per child, and then the problem disappears for good.
Getting the child application right the first time
Nothing above is hard, exactly. It is just tedious, and the cost of a small error is real: a returned application, weeks of delay, and a booked trip that no longer works.
ReadyForm walks through the PPTC 155 in plain language, works out the guarantor and custody rules for your specific situation, fills the current official form for your review, and gives you a checklist of exactly which documents to bring and where to file. It does not submit anything on your behalf, and it never asks for your details to leave your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Can I renew my child's passport online?
No. Online renewal is only available to applicants aged 16 and over. Children under 16 cannot renew at all, online or on paper, and need a new PPTC 155 application every time.
Who can renew a Canadian passport online now?
Anyone 16 or older whose home and mailing address are in Canada, holding a passport issued within the past 15 years that is expired or expiring within six months, who can upload a digital photo taken by a commercial photographer.
How long does online renewal take?
The processing target is 20 business days, plus roughly five days for the passport to reach you by mail.
What changed on July 28, 2026?
The Government of Canada removed the cap that limited how many online passport renewal applications could be submitted. Online renewal moved from a limited service to the standard route for eligible adults.
My child's passport expires soon. What do I actually need?
A new child passport application, form PPTC 155, filed on paper with a guarantor, two references, two photos and proof of citizenship. There is no renewal path for children.
Preparing a child passport application?
ReadyForm asks plain-language questions, fills the current official form for your review, and builds your document checklist. It never submits the application for you.