Source
r/askTO•
1985_mk

Passport question not about wait times.

I need help people of TO. I tried calling passport Canada, but can’t get through.

My son is 15, he will be turning 16 in Feb 2023. His current passport expires May 2023.

Now here is where I am confused. We have a trip planned December 2022 but his passport needs to be valid 6 months past the end of the trip. (Passport expires 5 months after trip)

Do I renew his child’s passport since he’s not 16 yet? Will it expire in February 2023 when he turns 16?

Posted Jun 25, 2022, 10:44 AM UTC

188
BottleCoffee•

I don't know the answer but I applaud you for specifying in the subject line that this is a novel question.

33
ARAR1•

The 6 months depends on where you are going. Check that countries requirements.

7
Morgan_of_JPMorgan•

Where are you traveling to? If it's the US then they don't cre about that requirement for Canadians.

6
TheSavingsGuy•

There's a passport application megathread in r/AskACanadian. Might want to try asking there: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskACanadian/comments/u9j48a/passport_application_megathread/?sort=new

6
erika_nyc•

I'll assume the country you are visiting has this 6 month rule. You'll have to apply for a new child's passport which is good for five years and it will be valid past his 16th birthday. It is why his current passport is valid until May even though he turns 16 in February. Sure it is an extra cost to accommodate this 6 month rule, but he won't be able to board in December with his current passport.

A child passport cannot be renewed, it is a new application. When you get back and after he turns 16, he can apply for the adult passport before your next trip. Passport Services downtown at 74 Victoria will be able to help you out with face to face advice. It is one of the 35 Passport Services in the country. Other Service Canada locations may not have an answer to your questions. They simply collect passport applications if travel is more than 45 business days away.

6
DogValuable1757•

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/child-passport.html

‘You can’t renew a child’s passport. When the child turns 16, they can apply for an adult passport, which can be renewed.

Until then, you need to apply for a new child’s passport when it expires.’

2
Ordinary-Meeting-701•

If you apply for a new passport now, he will apply as a child and the passport will remain valid for 5 years, even though he will become an adult during that time. It does not expire when he turns 16.

If you apply the day he turns 16 or later, he applies for an adult general passport and you can choose 5 or 10 years. (note- do not apply with an adult renewal form- child passports cannot be renewed into adult passports, he must apply for the first time as an adult with the general application)

Side note- The 6 months of validity rule is only for certain countries/travel carriers, but it’s good practise to have at least that much validity just in case.

Source- 5 years working for passport Canada

2
1985_mkOP•

You are awesome! Thank you very much!

1