Canadian passport

Canadian passport
The front cover of a Canadian e-passport (with chip ).
Date first issued	1862 (letter of request) 1921 (booklet) July 1, 2013 (biometric)
Issued by	Canada
Type of document	Passport
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	Canadian citizenship
Expiration	5 or 10 years after acquisition for adults (age 16 years and older), and 5 years for children under 16[1]
Cost	Adult (5 years) [2] Regular: C$120 Express: C$170 Urgent: C$230 Adult (10 years) [2] Regular: C$160 Express: C$210 Urgent: C$270 Child [2] Regular: C$57 Express: C$107 Urgent: C$167

The Canadian passport is the passport issued to citizens of Canada. It enables the bearer to exit and re-enter Canada; travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitates the process of securing assistance from Canadian consular officials abroad, if necessary; and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.^[3][4]

All Canadian passports are issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under its Passport Program since 1 July 2013.^[5] Prior to 1 July 2013, Canadian passports were issued by Passport Canada, a section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.^[6] They are normally valid for five or ten years for persons 16 years of age and older, and five years for children under 16.^[1] In 2015, 67 per cent of Canadians had passports, and 22.88 million Canadian travel documents were in circulation as of 31 March 2015.^[5] Although held by individuals, all Canadian passports remain property of the Queen of Canada (the Government of Canada), as stated on the inside front cover of the booklet.^[3]

Canada is a member of the Five Nations Passport Group, an international forum for cooperation between the passport issuing authorities in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States to "share best practices and discuss innovations related to the development of passport policies, products and practices".^[7]

Canada began issuing biometric passports, also known as electronic passports or e-passports, to Canadian citizens on 1 July 2013.^[3]

History

The first Canadian passports were issued in 1862, following the outbreak of the American Civil War, when the United States demanded more secure identification from Canadians wishing to cross the border. They took the form of a "Letter of Request" from the Governor General of Canada. These documents remained in use until, in 1915, Canadian passports were first issued in the British format, a ten section single sheet folder.^[8]

The modern form of the Canadian passport came about in 1921. At that time, Canadians were British subjects, and Canada shared a common nationality with the United Kingdom; thus, Canadian passports were issued to those British subjects resident in or connected to Canada. This arrangement ended in 1947, when the Canadian Citizenship Act was granted Royal Assent and the designation of Canadian citizenship was created. Beginning in July the following year, Canadian passports were issued to Canadian citizens only.^[9]

Between 1947 and 1970, Canadian citizens could only apply for passports by mail to Ottawa. Requirements were simple, and applicants claiming birth in Canada did not have to provide proof of birth. The lax security has led to numerous cases of misuse of the passport, so the Canadian Government tightened the application requirements from 1970. That year, the first three Passport Canada offices were opened in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.^[3]

In 1985, the first version of machine-readable passports (MRP) was issued, in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization standards. An amended version came into circulation in 1991, with additional security features and more stringent processing requirements. By 1993, a newer version of MRP was introduced, which contained unique features to prevent replication or alteration.^[3]

Since December 11, 2001, children have not been included in parents' passports, and passports have been issued for one person only.^[10]

In 2002, Passport Canada began to issue an updated version within Canada, which includes the digitally printed photo of the bearer embedded into the identification page of the booklet, holographic images, bar-coded serial number, and a second hidden photo of the bearer that could only be viewed under ultraviolet light. Canadian diplomatic missions abroad adopted this version in 2006.^[3] In March 2010, the passport was upgraded to include a new design of the identification page and more anti-counterfeit elements, such as the new colours of Optically Variable Ink and addition of laser perforated number. The cover, watermark, personalization technique and holographic laminate are same with the 2002 version. The 2010 version was also the last revision of MRP prior to the release of e-passports.^[10]

In the 2008 federal budget, Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, announced that biometric passports ("e-passports") would be introduced by 2011.^[11] A pilot project began in 2009, with e-passports being issued to special and diplomatic passport applicants.^[12] The e-passport roll-out was pushed back to 1 July 2013. On the same day, the issuing authority of Canadian passports was shifted from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), now known as IRCC.^[6]

Application and issuance

The issuance of passports falls under the Royal Prerogative. They are issued, in the name of the reigning Canadian monarch (as expressed in the passport note), according to the Canadian Passport Order.^[6] This Order in Council specifies grounds for which Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can issue or renew a passport.

Passport requirements

Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, all Canadian citizens have the right to enter Canada. Although there is no requirement for a Canadian citizen to use Canadian passport when entering or leaving Canada, under the new visa regulations all visa-free passport holders (except for U.S. citizens and nationals) will be required to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before boarding a flight to Canada, starting on 10 November 2016.

As the eTA is used for the sole purpose of immigration screening for non-Canadian visitors entering Canada on a temporary basis, all Canadian citizens are automatically barred from applying the eTA. Hence a de facto passport requirement will be in place by then, because a Canadian citizen who travels on a visa-free, non-Canadian passport will be prevented from boarding the commercial flight to Canada unless he or she can present a valid Canadian passport during check-in.^[13] The only exceptions to this rule are when a Canadian citizen travelling on a U.S. passport, as Americans do not need an eTA to enter Canada, or when a Canadian citizen travelling on an eTA-required passport but enters Canada by sea or through one of the land ports of entry from the U.S.

Application

Canadians in Canada can submit their applications in person through a passport office, a Service Canada location, a Canada Post receiving agent, or can submit their applications by mail. Canadians in the U.S. or Bermuda can apply only by mail. Canadian living in other countries or territories are required to apply through the nearest Canadian diplomatic posts abroad. Expedited services (urgent, express and standard pick-ups) are only available through a passport office in Canada.

Guarantor of identity

Canadian passport issuing system is modelled after the United Kingdom, where all first-time passport applications are required to be "countersigned" by a person who works in a recognized profession.^[14] Australia and New Zealand have similar policies. The use of a guarantor is to serve "as a security measure in the entitlement process and as a point of departure for the future investigation of statements made on the application form".^[15]

Rules regarding the eligibility of guarantors were last updated on 12 August 2013. For passport applicants in Canada, only a Canadian passport holder can be a guarantor. For Canadian citizens living abroad who do not have a Canadian guarantor, a non-Canadian guarantor so world in a licensed profession may be used for application, such as a dentist, medical doctor, judge, lawyer, notary public, pharmacist, police officer, veterinarian, or sitting officer for a financial institution.

Passport fees

All fees are payable in Canadian dollars only.

Current Passport Fees (as of 1 July 2013)^[2]

Location of applicant	Age of applicant	Type of passport	Normal application fee	Urgent pick up (by the end of the next business day) Additional $110	Express pick up (based on date of travel indicated on application form - within 2-9 business days) Additional $50	Standard pick up (on or after 10 business days) Additional $20	Replacement of a valid lost or stolen passport
In Canada	16 years and over	5-year passport	$120	$230	$170	$140	Additional $45 service fee for replacing a valid lost or stolen passport.
		10-year passport	$160	$270	$210	$180
	0–15 years	5-year passport	$57	$167	$107	$77
Outside Canada	16 years and over	5-year passport	$190	N/A	N/A	N/A
		10-year passport	$260	N/A	N/A	N/A
	0–15 years	5-year passport	$100	N/A	N/A	N/A

Refusal and revocation of passports

IRCC may revoke a passport or refuse to issue or renew a passport on grounds set out in the Canadian Passport Order, including such grounds as failure to submit a complete application, misrepresentation in obtaining a passport, and criminality. However, whether a Canadian passport may be revoked or refused on the basis of national security concerns has been questioned. See #Denial of passport to Abdurahman Khadem.

Types of passports

Before 1947, there were two types of passports: those issued to people who were born British subjects and those issued to people naturalized as British subjects.

Today, there are five types of Canadian passports:^[5]

Regular Passport (navy cover)

These documents are issued to citizens for occasional travel, such as vacations and business trips. They contain 36 pages (29 pages available for visa labels and stamps). They can be issued to adults (age 16 years and older) with a validity of 5 or 10 years or children under 16 with a validity of 5 years.

Temporary Passport (white cover)

These are issued to Canadian citizens outside Canada who require passports but their regular passport application is being processed. This passport contains 8 pages and is valid between six months and one year.^[10]

Emergency Travel Document (1 page)

Emergency travel documents are one-use documents issued to Canadians for direct return to their home country, or to the nearest Canadian diplomatic mission where full passport services are offered. The document contains details of the person, photo, travel details and expiry date of the document.^[10]

Special Passport (green cover)

These are issued pursuant to the Order Respecting the Issuance of Diplomatic and Special Passports^[16] to people representing the Canadian government on official business, including Privy Councillors, Members of Parliament, provincial cabinet members, public servants, citizens nominated as official non-diplomatic delegates^[17] and Canadian Forces members who are posted abroad.^[18] Since January 2009 special passports have been issued as electronic passports, in preparation of the full implementation of the ePassport program.^[19]

Diplomatic Passport (maroon cover)

These are issued pursuant to the Order Respecting the Issuance of Diplomatic and Special Passports^[16] to Canadian diplomats, top ranking government officials (including lieutenant governors and commissioners of territories),^[20] diplomatic couriers, and private citizens nominated as official diplomatic delegates. Since January 2009 diplomatic passports have been issued as electronic passports, in preparation of the full implementation of the ePassport program.^[19]

• Depictions of the different types of Canadian passports
• 

  Cover of a Canadian Temporary Passport

• 

  Canadian Emergency Travel Document

• 

  Cover of a Canadian Special e-Passport

• 

  Cover of a Canadian Diplomatic e-Passport

Physical appearance

Regular passports are deep navy blue, with the Royal Arms of Canada emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "PASSPORT•PASSEPORT" and the international e-passport symbol ()^[21] are inscribed below the coat of arms, and "CANADA" above. The bilingual cover is indicative of the textual portions of Canadian passports being printed in both English and French, Canada's two official languages. The standard passport contains 36 pages, with 29 available for entry/exit stamps and visas. The size dimensions of a closed Canadian passport are 3.5" (width) and 5" (height).

New security features, similar to those on banknotes, have been added with increasing frequency since 2001. Microprinting, holographic images, UV-visible imaging, watermarks and other details have been implemented, particularly on the photo page. As well, the photo is now digitally printed directly on the paper (in both standard and UV-reactive ink); previously, the actual photo had been laminated inside the document.

Data page

• Photo of the passport holder
• Type (P)
• Issuing Country (listed as "CAN" for "Canada")
• Passport No.
• Surname
• Given Names
• Nationality (Canadian/Canadienne)
• Date of Birth
• Sex
• Place of Birth (the city and three-letter country code are listed, even if born inside Canada)
  • Note: Province or State is required on the application form, if applicable, but is not listed in the passport.
• Date of Issue
• Issuing Authority
• Date of Expiry

The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.

Signature

From 2002 until May 2015, all Canadian passports contain two signature spaces: one is on the data page where a scanned signature is printed along with other personal details, the other is a blank signature block on page 3. After the applicants have received the passport, those over 16 must also sign in the signature block in ink.^[22]

Since May 2015, the passport bearer's scanned signature has not been printed on the data page. Adult applicants, however, must still sign page 3 in the passport book when they receive it.^[23]

Passport note

The passports contain a note from the issuing authority addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that they be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The textual portions of Canadian passports are printed in English and French, the official languages of Canada. The note inside of Canadian passports states:

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada requests, in the name of Her Majesty the Queen, all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely, without delay or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary."

Place of birth

The place of birth is inscribed under the following format: CITYNAME UTO, whereas "UTO" is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code of the country of birth. The first-level administrative country subdivisions of birth, such as the Canadian province or the U.S. state, is not mentioned as a part of place of birth, so Canadian citizens born in Portland, Maine or Portland, Oregon can have the same inscription as place of birth: PORTLAND USA. Exceptions to this format are listed below.

A passport applicant may request, in writing, that IRCC to not list the place of birth (city and country) - or country of birth - on their data page, by filling out PPTC 077. The applicant must indicate his or her awareness that omitting this information could cause difficulties at international entry points or when applying for visas.^[24]

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

In response to the Chinese government's modification of requirements for the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, Canadian passports issued to Canadians born in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan are now issued only with the place of birth and not the three-letter country code. Chinese visas will no longer be issued to Canadian passport holders whose place of birth is inscribed as Hong Kong HKG, Macao MAC, or (city name) TWN.^[25]

Jerusalem

Since April 1976, the policy has been that Canadian citizens born in Jerusalem have their birthplace identified only by the city's name, with no national designation, due to the unresolved legal status of Jerusalem.^[26]

Palestine

Canadian citizens born prior to 14 May 1948 may have their birthplace identified as Palestine if they were born in what was the British Mandate of Palestine (including Jerusalem).^[27]

Changes

Official languages

In September 2003, Le Devoir printed a piece calling on Passport Canada to give individual Canadians the choice of which official language appeared first in their passports, English or French. The Passport Office claimed that this was not allowed under international norms, but it was shown that Belgian passport applications asked Belgian citizens which of their country's three official languages (Dutch, French or German) should appear first in their passports.^[28]

ePassport

In 2008, Passport Canada announced that it would be issuing electronic passports to Canadian travellers starting in 2012. The e-passport will have an electronic chip encoded with the bearer's name, gender, and date and place of birth and a digital portrait of their face.

On 7 April 2010, Passport Canada announced that in 2012, Canada will begin issuing electronic passports, or ePassports, to all its citizens. Passport Canada states that "the use of ePassports will allow Canada to follow international standards in the field of passport security to protect the nation's borders and maintain the ease of international travel that Canadians currently enjoy. At the same time, Passport Canada will start offering the option of a 10-year validity period as well as the current 5-year validity period."^[29]

In September 2011, Passport Canada announced that the electronic passport would be ready by the end of 2012, however this was pushed back to 2013 when the organization found significant delay because of an increase in passport applications for revised entry policies to the United States in late 2000s and a lengthy consultation process was needed to survey public reactions to the new passport changes.^[30]

All Canadian passports issued on or after 1 July 2013 have been ePassports.^[3]

All ePassports are issued with 36 pages as opposed to the previous choice of 24 or 48 pages.

Proposed online application process

In 2015, IRCC (then known as CIC) planned to make moderation to the passport renewal system by integrating the passport issuance platform with its Global Case Management System (GCMS), a consolidated IT system for citizenship and immigration applications.^[31]

Under the proposed system modeled after New Zealand, passport holders would no longer need to return their old passports to CIC for cancellation, but can instead apply for a new passport online while keeping the old documents before they receive the new ones. Instead of returning the old passports, applicants would be asked to cut the corners of these documents "through an honour system".^[32]

The new process was expected to be available in November 2015, however the plan was cancelled in October when the use of GCMS for passport applications was temporarily suspended due to numerous security glitches in the system.^[33] IRCC permanently suspended the use of GCMS for passport applications in February 2016 following an internal audit. GCMS will not be used for passport applications until all risks, which include "Passport Program business requirements", are identified and secured.^[34][35]

Visa free access to the United States

Canadians used to be able to enter the United States by presenting a birth certificate (or other proof of Canadian citizenship) along with a form of photo identification (such as a driver's licence or provincial health card). In many cases United States border agents would accept a verbal declaration of citizenship.

Under the United States Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, since 23 January 2007, all Canadians entering the United States via air have been required to present a valid passport or NEXUS card.^[36] Since 1 June 2009, all Canadian citizens (16 years or older) have required a passport, NEXUS card, enhanced driver's licence, or Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card to enter the U.S. via land or water.^[36]

In most circumstances, Canadian citizens do not require visitor, business, transit or other visas to enter the United States, either from Canada or from other countries. Moreover, Canadian citizens are generally granted a stay in the U.S. for up to six months at the time of entry. Visa requirements only apply to Canadians who fall under visa categories E (investors), K (fiancé(e)s or spouses and their children of U.S. citizens), V (spouses and children of Lawful Permanent Residents), S (informants), A (Canadian government officials travelling on official business), G (Canadian diplomats working for international organizations in the U.S.) and NATO (Canadians working specifically for the NATO), and they must apply for a visa before entry in the same manner as other nationalities.^[37][38]

Canadian students are exempted from the visa requirements if they hold a valid form I-20 or DS-2019 and have paid their SEVIS registration fees, which enables them to travel to the U.S. under F-1 or J-1 statuses.^[39]

Lawfully working in the United States

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canadian citizens can legally work in the U.S. under simplified procedure, known as TN status, if their professions are under NAFTA regulations and they have a prearranged full-time or part-time job with a U.S. employer. Obtaining TN status does not involve getting a physical visa, instead the applicant is required to apply and receive TN status with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at a U.S. port of entry. The TN status is good for three years once approved and can be renewed indefinitely if working for the same employer, however it may be revoked each time the applicant enters the U.S. TN status also does not facilitate the process of obtaining lawful U.S. permanent residency and cannot be used to live in the U.S. permanently.^[40]

Canadians who want to work in the U.S. with intention to immigrate to the U.S., or who are ineligible for TN status, can also work under the H-1B status. Unlike other nationalities, they are exempted from obtaining the physical visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate. Apart from the visa exemption, other procedures are the same with all foreign nationals.^[41]

First Nations

Under the Jay Treaty signed by the U.S. and Great Britain in 1794, all American Indians may travel freely across the international boundary between U.S. and Canada. First Nations born in Canada are entitled to freely enter the U.S. for employment, education, retirement, investing, or immigration. In order to qualify, all eligible persons must provide documentation of their First Nations background at the port of entry. The documentation must be sufficient to show the bearer is "at least 50% of the American Indian race".^[42][43]

Notable cases of misuse

Since its introduction, the Canadian passport has been a favorable target of counterfeiters, criminals and agents of foreign governments. The reasons for such high number of misuses include the relative lax issuance process before 1970,^[3] the lack of anti-counterfeit features in early non-MRP versions, and Canadian passport's high number of visa-free countries. In 2015, a fake or altered Canadian passport can cost as much as US$3,000 on the black market, almost three times higher than fake or altered EU passports.^[44]

• In 1940, Frank Jacson, a Spanish national, travelled to Mexico City on a fraudulent Canadian passport to assassinate Leon Trotsky^[45]
• In 1961, Konon Molody used a fraudulently obtained passport of deceased Canadian Arnold Lonsdale. Using this identity he engaged in espionage activities in the United Kingdom.^[45]
• In 1962, three American fugitives who were convicted with narcotics-related charges obtained Canadian passports to escape to Spain. At the same year, Australian government also found a Soviet spy ring that was using Canadian passports.^[45]
• In 1968, James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr., used a Canadian passport, which was obtained with a forged baptismal certificate in the name of "Ramon George Sneyd", to temporarily escape capture following his completed assassination.^[45] He was in possession of two Canadian passports at the time of his arrest at London Heathrow Airport.^[45] Before Ray's arrest, he was able to turn his passport in, which has incorrectly spelled his fake last name as "Sneya", to the Canadian Embassy in Portugal, for a replacement under his correct alias. The arrest of Ray triggered an investigation launched by the Royal Commission on Security in 1969, which recommended much more stringent application requirements and the establishment of Passport Canada offices.^[3]
• In 1973, Mossad agents killed a waiter in Lillehammer, Norway in the mistaken belief that he was a senior operative for Black September. The use of false Canadian passports by the killers prompted a diplomatic crisis in relations between Canada and Israel, resulting in a commitment by Israel not to misuse Canadian passports in the future. It also resulted in a redesign of the Canadian passport to improve its security features.^[46]
• In 1980, six American diplomats were smuggled out of Iran using authentic Canadian passports containing forged Iranian visas with secret approval of the Canadian government.
• In 1997, Israeli secret service personnel again botched an assassination bid while using 'Canadian passports'. The attempt against Khaled Mashal in Jordan resulted in the arrest of the would-be killers. The Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy eventually received an apology and a written assurance that Mossad would desist from using Canadian passports.^[47]
• Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian al-Qaeda Millennium Bomber who attempted to blow up Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999/2000, evaded deportation by Canada and travelled freely to and from Canada by using a Canadian passport he obtained in March 1998 by submitting a fraudulent baptismal certificate; he used a stolen blank certificate, filling it in with a fictitious name.^[48]
• In 2007, a former Canadian bureaucrat pleaded guilty to selling at least 10 fraudulent passports to individuals overseas.^[49]
• A Russian spy involved in the Illegals Program used a Canadian passport to travel to the United States to deliver payment to Russian sleeper agents. The passport was issued to a man known as Christopher Metsos, however, following the public revelation of the spy ring Passport Canada revoked the document, saying it had been issued by the Canadian High Commission in Johannesburg, South Africa to a man assuming the identity of a deceased Canadian child.^[50]

Denial of passport to Abdurahman Khadem

In July 2004, Abdurahman Khadr was denied a Canadian passport by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson on the explicit advice of her Foreign Affairs Minister, Bill Graham, who stated the decision was "in the interest of the national security of Canada and the protection of Canadian troops in Afghanistan." The government invoked Royal Prerogative in order to deny Khadr's passport, as national security was not at that time listed in the Canadian Passport Order as a ground for refusal. Shortly thereafter, on 22 September 2004, section 10.1 was added to the order, which allowed the minister to revoke or refuse a passport due to national security concerns.^[51] Khadr sought judicial review of the minister's decision to refuse his passport and,^[52] on 8 June of the following year, the Federal Court ruled that the government did not have the power to refuse to issue Khadr's passport in the absence of specific authority set out in the Canadian Passport Order, but stated in obiter dicta that if the order were to be amended, Khadr would likely not be able to challenge the revocation.^[53]

In 2006, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, then Peter MacKay, again denied Khadr's application, this time invoking section 10.1 of the amended Canadian Passport Order.^[54] Section 10.1 was later challenged in Federal Court by Fateh Kamel, whose passport had also been refused for national security reasons. On 13 March 2008, the Federal Court declared section 10.1 of the Canadian Passport Order to be unconstitutional and therefore invalid,^[55][56] though the court suspended its declaration of invalidity for six months in order to allow the government time to amend the order. The federal government launched an appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal and a ruling handed down on 29 January 2009 overturned the lower court decision. The court unanimously agreed the denial of passport service on national grounds is in compliance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, citing the limitation clause (Section 1) as its main decision point.^[57][58] Kamel launched an appeal in 2009 to the Supreme Court of Canada but the court declined to hear his case and thus ended the legality challenge to the Canadian Passport Order.^[59]

In 2010, Kamel attempted to re-apply for a Canadian passport but was once again refused by the minister on grounds of national security. He sought judicial review but was dismissed by the Federal Court and subsequently by the Federal Court of Appeal in 2013.^[60] Kamel did not appeal the decision of the Federal Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Proof of Canadian citizenship

A Canadian passport serves as the proof of holder's identity and nationality status outside Canada. Contrary to popular belief, however, a Canadian passport itself, be it valid or invalid, is only a prima facie proof of Canadian citizenship. Conclusive proof of Canadian citizenship, as dictated by the IRCC, only includes the following documents:^[61]

• Canadian citizenship certificate;
• Canadian citizenship card;
• Birth certificate from a Canadian province or territory;
• Naturalization certificate as a British subject in Canada (issued before January 1, 1947);
• Registration of birth abroad certificate (issued between January 1, 1947 and February 14, 1977); and,
• Certificates of retention (issued between January 1, 1947 and February 14, 1977)

Although the provincial or territorial birth certificate is accepted by IRCC as valid proof of citizenship, Section 3(2) of the Citizenship Act declared that a child born in Canada to either parent who was a diplomatic or consular officer or other representative of a foreign country, or an employee in the service of such person, is not a Canadian citizen if neither parent was a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident at time of the child's birth. Such persons may be issued Canadian passports, as their provincial or territorial issued birth certificate are considered as proof of citizenship. Under the Act, however, they are legally not Canadian citizens even if they hold a valid Canadian passport.

The ambiguity on the enforcement of the Act can create hardship for Canadian passport holders who assumed they were Canadian citizens. Deepan Budlakoti, a stateless man born in Ottawa to Indian parents who were employed by the Indian High Commission at the time of his birth, was twice issued a Canadian passport under the assumption that he was a Canadian citizen by virtue of being born in Canada.^[62] His Canadian passport, however, was cancelled after his criminal convictions in 2010 brought the investigation by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which concluded in 2011 that he was not a Canadian citizen, but a permanent resident. His appeals to the Federal Courts, and subsequently to the Supreme Court of Canada to recognize him as a Canadian citizen, were denied.^[63] The Indian government claims that he had lost his Indian citizenship by obtaining a Canadian passport, as Rule 3 of Schedule III of the Citizenship Rules, 1956 of India states that "the fact that a citizen of India has obtained on any date a passport from the Government of any other country shall be conclusive proof of his/her having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of that country before that date".^[63] Budlakoti, therefore, is stateless, regardless of the fact that he had held a Canadian passport.

Visa requirements

Visa requirements for Canadian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Canada. According to the 2016 Visa Restrictions Index, holders of a Canadian passport can visit 172 countries and territories visa-free or with visa on arrival, and the score of Canada is ranked^[64] 6th in terms of travel freedom (tied with Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, South Korea and Switzerland).^[65]

Foreign travel statistics

According to the statistics these are the numbers of Canadian visitors to various countries per annum in 2014 (unless otherwise noted):

Foreign travel statistics
Destination	Number of visitors
American Samoa[66]	120
Anguilla[note 1][67]	12,173
Antigua and Barbuda[note 1][68]	23,270
Aruba[69]	43,767
Australia[note 1][70]	141,900
Austria[note 1][note 2][71]	107,081
Azerbaijan[note 1][72]	2,372
Bahamas[note 3][73]	123,720
Barbados[note 1][note 2][74]	74,494
Bermuda[75]	29,100
Belgium[76]	59,289
Belize[note 3][77]	71,312
Bhutan[note 3][78]	1,055
Bolivia[79]	12,773
Bosnia and Herzegovina[note 1][80]	3,911
Botswana[81]	9,612
Brazil[note 1][82]	68,293
British Virgin Islands[note 3][83]	35,505
Brunei[note 4][84]	2,411
Bulgaria[note 1][85]	18,402
Cambodia[note 1][86]	56,834
Cayman Islands[note 1][note 5][87]	24,299
Chile[note 1][88]	33,915
China[note 1][89]	679,800
Cook Islands[note 1][90]	1,883
Costa Rica[note 1][91]	175,771
Croatia[note 1][92]	94,707
Cyprus[note 1][93]	4,259
Cuba[note 1][94]	1,300,092
Curacao[note 1][95]	18,228
Dominica[96]	3,002
Dominican Republic[note 1][97]	745,860
Dutch Caribbean:[note 5][98]  Bonaire  Saba  Sint Eustatius	1400 300 1000 100
Ecuador[99]	33,230
Estonia[note 1][note 2][100]	4,685
Fiji[note 1][101]	11,709
Finland[102]	15,410
France[note 3][103]	1,101,100
French Polynesia[note 1][104]	8,402
Georgia[note 1][105]	3,600
Germany[note 1][106]	289,449
Greece[note 1][107]	182,299
Greenland[note 1][108][109]	513
Grenada[note 6][110]	6,187
Guam[note 1][note 5][111]	928
Guatemala[112]	52,531
Guyana[note 6][113]	25,381
Haiti[note 7][110]	30,046
Hong Kong[note 1][114]	358,448
Hungary[note 1][note 2][115]	38,445
Iceland[note 1][116]	46,654
India[note 1][117]	281,306
Ireland[note 1][118]	191,000
Israel[note 1][119]	66,700
Italy[note 1][120]	868,000
Jamaica[note 1][121]	391,409
Japan[note 1][122]	231,390
Jordan[note 1][123]	27,609
Laos[note 1][124]	19,785
Latvia[note 1][125]	5,006
Lebanon[note 3][126]	71,841
Lesotho[note 3][127]	626
Lithuania[note 1][128]	3,500
Macau[note 1][129]	70,973
Macedonia[note 1][130]	2,608
Malaysia[note 1][131]	79,557
Malawi[note 8][132]	7,380
Maldives[note 1][133]	7,537
Martinique[note 6][134]	9,535
Mexico[note 1][note 5][135]	1,748,530
Micronesia[note 1][136]	220
Moldova[note 1][137]	4,673
Montenegro[note 2][138]	3,920
Montserrat[note 6][139]	404
Myanmar[note 1][140]	14,051
Namibia[note 1][141]	8,551
Netherlands[142]	143,000
New Zealand[note 1][143]	52,352
Niue[note 8][144]	32
Nicaragua[note 1][145]	35,260
Pakistan[note 8][146]	43,000
Panama[note 1][147]	47,762
Papua New Guinea[note 1][148]	2,403
Paraguay[149]	2,530
Peru[note 1][150]	70,560
Philippines[note 1][151]	156,363
Romania[note 1][152]	20,578
Russia[153]	53,370
Saint Lucia[note 1][154]	38,677
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[note 1][155]	7,594
Samoa[note 1][156]	474
Serbia[note 1][note 2][157]	7,045
Seychelles[note 1][158]	1,095
Singapore[note 1][159]	96,247
Sint Maarten[note 6][160]	33,498
Slovenia[note 1][161]	14,828
Solomon Islands[note 1][162]	153
South Africa[note 1][163]	56,224
South Korea[note 1][164]	145,547
Spain[note 1][165]	224,743
Sri Lanka[note 1][166]	37,732
Suriname[note 1][167]	2,613
Swaziland[note 1][168]	1,097
Taiwan[note 1][169]	90,666
Tanzania[note 3][170]	20,188
Thailand[note 1][171]	227,306
Tonga[note 1][172]	229
Trinidad and Tobago[173]	54,877
Turkey[note 1][174]	187,615
Turks and Caicos[note 1][175]	36,512
Tuvalu[note 4][176]	9
Uganda[note 3][177]	9,729
Ukraine[note 1][178]	22,055
United Kingdom[note 1][179]	708,000
United States[180]	11,289,743
Venezuela[note 3][181]	11,778
Vietnam[note 1][182]	105,670
Zambia[note 3][183]	6,202
Zimbabwe[184]	3,304

Gallery

• 

  Special passport issued for the purpose of attending the 1936 Vimy pilgrimage. One of more than 6,000 issued.^[1]

• 

  Canadian passport (1993–2002).

• 

  Canadian passport (2003–2013)

• 

  Canadian e-passport (2013-)

1. ^ "Dedication of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial 26 July 1936". Veterans Affairs Canada. 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 

See also

• Canadian Passport Order
• Canadian nationality law
• Visa requirements for Canadian citizens
• Visa policy of Canada
• List of diplomatic missions of Canada

References

External links

• Official site
• History of Canadian Passports
• Renewal of Canadian Passports
• Passport Guarantors Policy
• Travel Advice and Advisories – Global Affairs Canada
• Directory of Canadian Government Offices Abroad – Global Affairs Canada