Child passport renewal Canada

 

Child passport renewal Canada

The fist thing to note is that the simplified renewal process is not available for passport renewals for children. The main reason for this is the required security checks that the Passport Office need to do for children less than 16 years of age.

As per required regulations the Passport Office in Canada must verify the following;

– the custody of,

– access to and

– mobility of the child.
Who May Apply for a Passport on Behalf of a Child?

  • One of the child’s parents; (however both parents need to sign the form)
  • Custodial parent in cases of separation or divorce; or
  • The legal guardian.

Child passport renewal requirements Checklist

  • BOTH pages of the application form completed and signed within the last 12 months.
  • 2 identical passport photos of the child (one of the photos certified by your guarantor.)
  • Proof of Canadian citizenship (no copies or certified copies).
  • All documents that refer to custody or mobility of, or access to, the child.
  • Any valid Canadian passport or travel document issued to the child.
  • The fee.

How long are Children passports valid for?
For a child aged:

  • 3 to 15 years, the maximum period of validity is 5 years.
  • under 3 years, the maximum period of validity is 3 years.

Processing Times

20 business days

Signing Child’s passport
Parents must never sign the passport of a child.

  • Children 11 years of age or over must sign the passport, in ink, in the signature block on page 3 only if their signature appears on page 2 of the passport. Otherwise, the signature block on page 3 should be left blank.
  • Children under 11 years of age do not sign the passport—the signature block on page 3 must be left blank.

Child Photos

canadian passport photoThe photos must be:

  • taken by a commercial photographer.
  • 50 mm wide X 70 mm high
  • clear, sharp and in focus.
  • Photos may be in colour or in black and white.
  • taken with a neutral facial expression (eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, no smiling).
  • taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows, glare or flash reflections.
    taken straight on, with face and shoulders centered and squared to the camera.
  • taken in front of a plain white or light-coloured background with a clear difference between your face and the background.
  • Photos must reflect/represent natural skin tones.
    original photos that are not altered in any way or taken from an existing photo.
  • reflect your current appearance (taken within the last 12 months).
    professionally printed on plain, high quality photographic paper (photos printed at home and photos printed on heavy weight paper are not acceptable).

The following must be included on the back of one photo:

  • the name and complete address of the photo studio and the date the photo was taken. The photographer may use a stamp or handwrite this information. Stick-on labels are unacceptable.
  • your guarantor clearly write: “I certify this to be a true likeness of (applicant’s name)” and sign his or her name (unless you are applying to renew a passport, as no guarantor is necessary for renewals).

Your application will be rejected if your photos do not meet these specifications.

  • An altered photo refers to any photo that has been edited or changed in any way, by any means, and includes, but is not limited to technical corrections or enhancements such as adjustments to colour,
  • brightness,
  • contrast and
  • sharpness of the image,
  • cropping around the subject’s head and shoulders (cutting and pasting the subject against a white background),
  • editing of the facial features (changing size or shape of eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc.),
  • editing to improve the appearance of the subject (eliminating wrinkles, blemishes, birthmarks;
  • changing hair colour; removing red-eye; removing glare, etc.),
  • changing the background (eliminating shadows, etc.), editing the subject’s clothing (changing colours, etc.).