How to Get Your Child’s First Canadian Passport Overseas
Once you have obtained your child’s Certificate of Canadian Citizenship, you can schedule an appointment at the Canadian embassy to apply for their first Canadian passport. Thankfully, the process is straightforward.
It’s a common problem that parents schedule a passport appointment before obtaining their child’s proof of citizenship. The Certificate of Canadian Citizenship is the only way to prove your child is a Canadian and is, therefore, completely necessary before applying for a passport.
The first step to applying for your child’s passport is scheduling an appointment at your nearest Canadian embassy. For us, this was the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City.
You can make an appointment online by following the steps on the Canadian embassy’s website. So you know what to look for, here’s the appointment gateway for the Mexico City embassy.
Do not book an appointment through any third-party providers or services. Only book your appointment through a Government of Canada portal. The appointment system is only available for Canadian citizens to use and is free of charge.
Bring the Following Documents with You for Your Appointment
A complete and signed “child abroad passport application form”.
A copy of both parents’ IDs (Canadian or foreign passports are best) signed by each parent.
Two identical passport photos of your child, one signed by the guarantor. You, as the parent, can be the guarantor. At least one of the photos must include the name and address of the photo studio/photographer and the date the photo was taken written on the back.
Inform the photo studio/passport photo shop to use these specifications.Your child’s long-form birth certificate (original and photocopy) states that you and your partner (if applicable) are the child's parents. A certified (notarized) translation must accompany the document if this certificate is not in English or French. Also include any additional documents that refer to the custody of, mobility of, or access to the child.
Proof of payment of fees -- You can pay for the passport online and print out your receipt before your appointment. Here’s a link to the payment gateway: https://eservices.cic.gc.ca/epay/order.do?category=10116&lang=en
Your child’s Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (original) -- If you applied for and obtained your child’s citizenship certificate online, then all you need to do is print out the PDF sent to you, which will count as the original document.
Child’s photo ID- We didn’t see this requirement listed anywhere else, but when we went to apply for our daughter’s Canadian passport, we were also asked to submit a copy of her Mexican passport. Perhaps this was just for good measure, but I have included it here.
Your application should be approved on the spot if your documents are in order. After that, it’s a waiting game for the passport to be printed and sent back to the embassy.
Once your child’s passport is ready for collection, you will receive an email from the embassy requiring you to make another appointment to pick it up. Remember that you must have an appointment to enter the embassy to collect your document. It’s a short appointment slot (15 minutes), so you usually can get a slot within the same week. It took us two days. You should arrive at the embassy 5-10 minutes early to clear security.
Any original documents you submitted with the application (like your child’s birth certificate) will be returned to you when you pick up the passport. The embassy will keep your printout of the digital Certificate of Canadian Citizenship.
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