Canadian passport applications
Can this person be your passport guarantor?
Answer one question at a time against the Passport Program’s own conditions. If nobody qualifies, you get the program’s route for that too.
Question 1
Who is the passport for?
From 16, a person applies for an adult passport.
The rules in one table.
Read from canada.ca and the passport forms (edition 08-2026) on November 5, 2026. The linked page always has the last word.
This covers a regular (blue) passport. The same page sets separate rules for military personnel(opens in a new tab) and for a certificate of identity or refugee travel document(opens in a new tab), which this checker does not assess.
| A Canadian passport holder as guarantorAnyone you know, including a family member or a member of your household, as long as they meet every condition. The same conditions apply in Canada and outside Canada. | |
|---|---|
Is a Canadian citizen. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
Is 18 or older. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
Has known you personally for at least 2 years. The forms define it: “To know you personally means your guarantor is able to confirm aspects of your personal attributes.” This applies on the occupation-based route too. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
Knows you well enough to be confident that the statements you have made on the application form are true. Printed in the form instructions, for both routes. | Form PPTC 153(opens in a new tab) |
Has a Canadian passport that was issued for 5 or 10 years. Form PPTC 040 adds that temporary passport holders are not accepted. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
That passport is either valid or has been expired for less than 1 year. The forms word this as “expired for no more than 1 (year) on the date the Passport Program receives this application”, so the year runs to the day the program receives it, not the day your guarantor signs. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
That passport can’t be damaged, inaccessible, suspended or revoked, reported lost or stolen, found and returned, destroyed by the program, or requested to be returned. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
Was 16 or older when they applied for that passport. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
Will be available to confirm your identity, your information, and their participation in your application if the program needs to contact them. The forms say the guarantor must be accessible to the Passport Program for verification, on both routes. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
Can communicate in English or French. The forms apply this on both routes. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
| Added for a child’s applicationEvery condition on the route you use, passport holder or occupation-based, plus these two. | |
Is not the parent or legal guardian who is the applicant on the form. The other parent or legal guardian can sign as guarantor if they meet all the requirements, even if they submit the application for you. | In Canada(opens in a new tab) |
Has knowledge of your child. The 2 years is counted on you, the parent or guardian applying: the guarantor must “have known you personally for at least 2 years” and “know of the child”. | Child application(opens in a new tab) |
| An occupation-based guarantor, outside Canada onlyA second route for an application submitted outside Canada. The forms say this guarantor does not need to be a Canadian citizen. The program does not state a minimum age for this route. | |
Practises one of these professions: Judge; Dentist; Pharmacist; Veterinarian; Police officer; Notary public; Lawyer/notary; Medical doctor; Dean/head of university or college; Signing officer of a bank or trust company, or of a financial institution that offers a full range of banking services. | Occupation-based(opens in a new tab) |
Is registered or licensed with the appropriate local authority to practise that profession. | Occupation-based(opens in a new tab) |
Is currently working in that field. A retired guarantor can be used if their professional association still has their name on its list. | If retired(opens in a new tab) |
Outside Canada and the US: currently works and/or lives in the area served by the Government of Canada office where you submit the application. In the US: is licensed to practise in the United States. From the instructions on form PPTC 040 and form PPTC 140. | Form PPTC 040(opens in a new tab) |
| When no guarantor is neededYou don’t need a guarantor if you’re renewing. All of these must be true of your last passport, or you apply for a new one. | |
Was an adult passport that was issued when you were at least 16 years old. You cannot renew a child passport. | Who can renew(opens in a new tab) |
Was issued within 15 years of the date you apply for your renewal. | Who can renew(opens in a new tab) |
Was valid for 5 or 10 years. | Who can renew(opens in a new tab) |
Has the same name, date of birth and place of birth as you want on your new passport. | Who can renew(opens in a new tab) |
Has the same gender identifier as you want on your new passport. It can be printed on your most recent passport or be the “X” observation sticker. | Who can renew(opens in a new tab) |
| References are a separate requirementYou need 2 references for a passport application, renewals included. | |
Each reference is 18 or older, has known you for at least 2 years, and agrees to you using their name and contact information. | References(opens in a new tab) |
A reference cannot be your guarantor or a family member, such as a spouse, common-law partner, parent, child, sibling or grandparent. Unlike a guarantor. The full list of relatives is on the official page. | References(opens in a new tab) |
What the guarantor signs.
You or your guarantor can complete most of the section. These parts are theirs alone.
On the application form
- Signature of guarantor
- Signed at
- Date
- I have known the applicant for (number of years)
On 1 passport photo
They write on the back “I certify this to be a true likeness of (your name or your child’s name)”, and sign the back of the same photo.
On your ID copies
For an adult application, they sign and date the photocopies of each supporting ID. Not needed if you submit originals.
Your guarantor can’t charge you money for this, and you can’t help them with these tasks. If they need help, they contact the Passport Program(opens in a new tab).
If nobody qualifies: the Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor.
Form PPTC 132 replaces the guarantor’s signature. The program has no public page for the form itself; it sets the route out on its guarantors page(opens in a new tab).
Get the form from the program
It’s not available online. In Canada, visit a passport service location or contact the program. In the US, go to the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate, or contact the program. Elsewhere, contact the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate.
Find someone who can administer an oath
In Canada: a notary public, a justice of the peace or a commissioner for oaths. Outside Canada: a Canadian or British diplomatic or consular representative, or a qualified local official such as a civil servant or member of Parliament. This person doesn’t need to know you personally.
Swear or affirm it, and sign
The form is completed at your expense before a person authorized by law to administer an oath or solemn affirmation.
The official signs your photo and copies
The signing official also signs the back of the photo. If you send copies of your ID, the same official signs and dates the copies of both sides to show they have seen the originals.
List different references
You can’t use the same references that you used for your passport application.
Allow for the extra time
The form instructions warn that this may delay the processing time of the passport.
We commission PPTC 132 in person, on a mobile visit: the notary comes to you anywhere in Ontario, takes your declaration, and signs your paper photo and ID copies. See statutory declarations, mobile visits and our guide to PPTC 132.
Questions people ask about guarantors.
- Can a family member or someone I live with be my passport guarantor?
- Yes. Your guarantor can be anyone, including a family member or a member of your household, as long as they meet every requirement. Your 2 references are different: a family member can’t be a reference.
- Do I need a guarantor to renew my passport?
- No, you don’t need a guarantor if you’re renewing. You can renew only if your last passport was an adult passport issued when you were at least 16, was issued within 15 years of the date you apply, was valid for 5 or 10 years, and has the same name, date of birth, place of birth and gender identifier you want on the new one. You still need 2 references.
- Can my guarantor also be one of my references?
- No. Your references cannot be your guarantor, so you need 3 different people.
- How long can my guarantor’s passport have been expired?
- The Government of Canada’s web page says it must be valid or expired for less than 1 year. The form instructions say no more than 1 year on the date the Passport Program receives the application. If the program receives your application before the first anniversary of the expiry date, both are met. The passport must also have been issued for 5 or 10 years.
- Does my guarantor have to be a doctor, a lawyer or another professional?
- Not for an application submitted in Canada: the guarantor can be anyone you know who meets the requirements. Outside Canada, the same applies, and you may also use an occupation-based guarantor from the program’s list of professions.
- What can I do if I can’t find a guarantor?
- Contact the Passport Program for the Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor, form PPTC 132. It’s not available online. You swear or affirm it before someone who can administer an oath, who doesn’t need to know you personally. In Canada that is a notary public, a justice of the peace or a commissioner for oaths. We commission it in person, on a mobile visit in Ontario.
General guidance, not legal advice. Passing this check is not an approval: the Passport Program decides every application and can ask for a new guarantor or more references. Where its pages are silent, the program does not say, and neither do we.
Nothing you enter leaves your browser. A shared result link names the outcome only, never your answers.
Nobody qualifies?
We take your declaration in person.
A notary comes to you anywhere in Ontario, takes your statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor, and signs your photo and ID copies. Bring form PPTC 132 from the Passport Program, unsigned.