Canada's passport got a whole new design last year, with new security features, visa pages, and more.
In May, officials unveiled the passport's new look, which included several new elements and a striking new passport cover.
According to officials, the new design uses the latest security features and most advanced design techniques available. Because of these, the government says it will "remain one of the most secure and accepted travel documents in the world," meaning Canadians will likely continue to avoid extra checks at border crossings.
As of spring 2024, the government will only be issuing the brand new passports. Here are some features of the new Canadian passport that you can expect to see if you're applying for the travel document that are very different from the old passport.
New cover
Canada's old and new passports.
One of the biggest changes to Canada's passport is the new cover design.
Whereas the old design was similar to other countries in that it featured a centred coat of arms with text above and below, the new design definitely makes Canada's passport stand out.
While the design still features Canada's coat of arms, it's now smaller, with a larger gold outline of a maple leaf surrounding it.
The book itself is still navy, though it appears the old passport book is a richer blue.
The new cover also features "CANADA" written in large letters at the top right of the cover.
New reference to the king
A reference to the king in the new Canadian passport.
The new passport also contains a reference to the king, rather than the queen, as was to be expected when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2023, ending her reign.
The new book reads: "The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada requests, in the name of His Majesty the King, 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."
New ID page
The ID page in the new passport.
Another big change from the old Canadian passport is the new passport's identification page, which got a major upgrade with a new look and feel and new security elements.
Instead of a glossy piece of paper, the new ID page is actually a polycarbonate card, similar in feel to a driver's licence. The government says this material will last longer and will be less likely to be damaged by water or rough handling.
Your personal information is also now laser-engraved on the page, instead of printed.
The new ID page now also contains several versions of the holder's photo, including a photo of you and your date of birth under a special lens shaped like a maple leaf. When viewed through this lens, the photo and date of birth will each appear and disappear depending on how you look at it.
The government has also added added a kinegram with a snowflake on it to the ID page that changes colours and appears to move when viewed from different angles.
The ID page also has a red maple leaf that disappears if you heat it by rubbing it with your finger.
No observation page
The observation page in the old Canadian passport.
If you have the old passport, you'll notice that the first page after your identification and information page is a page titled "Observation." This page is for adding observation labels to your passport which indicate that the holder may have special circumstances.
For example, if you requested the X gender identifier for your passport in the past, the government would place a sticker in your passport called the “X” observation sticker.
The new passport now goes right into your visa pages.
Colourful visa pages
Visa pages in Canada's new passport.
And speaking of the visa pages, those are different now too!
The old passport featured artwork of Canada's history and icons. For example, pages featured images of Samuel de Champlain, the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, the RCMP, and Bluenose.
When the design of the new passport was unveiled, many Canadians critiqued the new passport's removal of Canadian history, like Terry Fox and Vimy Ridge, which were replaced with "seasonal art."
The new passport features visa pages in pastel shades of blue, green, yellow and orange with images of things like butterflies and moose, and people skating and sitting around a campfire.
According to the Government of Canada, the designs make the new passport "very difficult to counterfeit." Like the old passport, they also change when you look at them under ultraviolet light.
Extra visa pages
The new passport also has more visa pages than the old one.
The old passport book contained 29 visa pages as well as a final page reading "do not stamp."
The new passport book contains 33 stampable visa pages and no final page. The last page in the book is a visa page, followed by the artwork on the back cover, which features a pair of narwhals swimming in the ocean.
New security elements
New security features in the new passport.
In addition to new security elements on the ID page and visa pages, the new passport also contains magnetized colour-shifting ink in the shape of a deer and snowflake on the first two pages as well as a visible chip and antenna that allows your passport to work similarly to a contactless credit card.
"All of these can be used to detect fraud and confirm that your passport is valid," says the Government of Canada.
New back cover
The back and front covers of the new Canadian passport.
The new passport books also got a back-cover upgrade.
While the old books didn't really have much going on on the back cover, the new books' back cover features a new Canadian design.
The back cover now has a debossed maple leaf similar to the maple leaf on the front cover, as well as metallic foil red maple leaves in a design going down the left side of the cover.
How do I get the new Canadian passport?
The government began issuing the new passports in June 2023. At the time, it said that until they finished installing the printers for the new passports in all offices, applicants could still get the old passport when they apply.
However, they said that by spring 2024, they would only be issuing the new passports. So if you were to apply now, you'd get the new one.
Keep in mind though that if you already have a valid passport, it’s still secure and reliable, and you don't need to apply for a new one.
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