8 Reasons a Canadian Passport Can Be Revoked or Canceled Without Prior Notice

A Canadian passport is the property of the Canadian government and is not solely owned by its holder, meaning it can be revoked or canceled in various situations that citizens may not anticipate.

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship holds broad powers to suspend, cancel, or refuse passport services, even under circumstances not directly related to a criminal conviction.

The main situations that can lead to the loss of your Canadian passport include:

• Delaying child or spousal support payments: Failure to pay child support or spousal maintenance can result in the suspension of your passport until the outstanding amounts are settled.
• Lending the passport to someone else: Lending your passport to anyone, even relatives, is considered a serious violation and may result in a ban on using passport services for up to 10 years.
• Failing to repay consular financial assistance: If you received financial aid to return to Canada and did not repay it, a new passport may be denied.
• Reporting a lost passport: A reported lost passport is immediately canceled for security reasons and cannot be reactivated even if it is later found.
• Providing false information during application: Using misleading information to obtain a passport can lead to its revocation, even years after issuance.
• Failing to return the passport when requested by the government: The passport is government property, and failure to return it upon request may result in cancellation and notification of security authorities.
• Loss of Canadian citizenship: If your citizenship is revoked for any reason, the passport becomes invalid and must be returned immediately.
• Facing serious criminal charges: A conviction is not required; merely being charged with serious crimes inside or outside Canada can lead to passport revocation while the case is ongoing.

However, Canadian authorities clarified that there is a distinction between revocation and cancellation of a passport. Revocation occurs after notification and administrative review, with an opportunity to respond, whereas cancellation happens immediately in security or administrative cases. In both situations, the passport becomes invalid for travel, and border authorities are notified.

It is also possible to appeal revocation decisions before the Federal Court within 30 days, while cancellation may not always allow the same appeal process.

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