Canada Passport Information Guide

A passport is an important and vital document that is proof of a person’s identity and nationality. It is usually issued by the country where a person is born. It can also be obtained by various other ways for example by marriage to a holder but it depends on the rules of the Country it is being issued by. The Canadian passport is issued by a special Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade known as Passport Canada. It allows its users the luxury of international travel to an estimated 187 countries visa free and some with visa. A Canadian passport is a legal document that can also be used for identification and is evidence of Canadian Citizenship.

The Canadian passport is deep navy blue in color and has Canada written on top of it with the Coat of Arms of Canada inscribed in the middle. Canada has two official languages; French and English. The Canadian passport is proof of that. The word passport is written below it- first in English and then in French. It has 24 pages normally but with an additional fee it may consist of 48 pages. The text part of the passport is written in both English and French.

The data page of the passport is similar to the data page of various other nationality passports and consists of a digitally printed photo of the holder directly on to the passport. It also contains the type, name of issuing country, passport no., surname, given names, nationality, date of birth, sex, place of birth, date of issue, issuing authority, date of expiry and the signature of passport holder. At the end of the page is the machine readable code.

The Canadian passport is valid for 5 years. The issuing fee of a 24 page Canadian passport for an adult who is 16 years or older is $87, for a child between the age of 3 and 15 costs $37 and for children below 3 years of age costs $22. There are extra charges for a 48 page Canadian passport; $92 for adults, $39 for children between the age of 15 and 3 years and $24 for children below 3 years of age.

The requirements of applying for Canadian Citizenship include all three pages of the form completely filled and signed within the last 12 months. Two identical photographs taken within last 12 months as well Application form and one of the photos certified by your guarantor are also required. In addition to that, proof of Canadian Citizenship, documents to support identity, any document issued regarding travelling within the last 5 years and fee are required.

As of January 2007, Canadians need a valid Canadian passport to enter the United States by air. Previously they could cross the border simply by presenting any proof of Canadian Citizenship along with photographic identification.

With the increase in need of better security, Passport Canada announced issuing of new electronic passports starting 2011. Security measures such as watermarks and holographic images have been already implemented in the existing passport format.