Permanent resident travel document (PRTD): getting back to Canada.

Who needs a PRTD

The officer will assess your residency obligation

See the residency obligation guide for how days are counted.

Your PR status continues until a final decision

1. An expired card is not lost statusPR status does not expire with the card. It ends only after a final determination, voluntary renunciation, a removal order taking effect, or citizenship.
2. Short of 730 daysYou remain a PR until an official decision. A PRTD refusal on residency grounds becomes final only if you do not appeal within the appeal period, or if the appeal is lost.
3. Do not apply as a visitorWhile you are still a PR you cannot simply apply for a visitor visa or eTA. Choose between a PRTD (to keep status) and renunciation (to give it up).

How to apply from outside Canada

1. One application per personEach family member who needs a PRTD must submit a separate, complete application. Incomplete applications are returned. Only one PRTD application can be open at a time. An adult signs their own application; a child aged 14 to 17 signs with a parent or guardian, and a parent or guardian signs for a child under 14. For a child travelling with only one parent or without a parent, bring proof of custody or a letter of permission from the other parent or parents.
2. Apply onlineApply through the Permanent Residence Portal using form IMM 5444, following guide IMM 5529 and checklist IMM 5644. Paper is possible only if you cannot apply online and need an accommodation, or if your nearest visa application centre (VAC) accepts paper applications; contact the VAC first. No photograph is required for a PRTD.
3. Optional formsIMM 5476 to appoint a representative, or IMM 5475 to let someone else receive information. Both you and that person sign.
4. Pay the feeThe fee is $50 per person, paid online. Include the receipt. It is not refunded once processing has started.
5. After you submitWatch your account and email. You may be asked for more documents or invited to an interview. IRCC processes PRTDs on a priority basis but does not publish a processing time.

Documents and evidence

Build the file around three questions: who you are, where you have been, and why you were away. A list of trips alone is often not enough.

1. PassportsA copy of your current valid passport and copies of all pages of every passport or travel document you used in the past 5 years. Send photocopies only (originals are not returned); documents not in English or French need a translation.
2. Residency evidenceAt least two pieces of evidence of residence in Canada, such as pay stubs, bank statements or Canada Revenue Agency notices of assessment, plus records for each period you claim (lease, employment, school, health, family). If you meet the 730 days and want a multiple-entry PRTD, you may add a cover letter explaining your circumstances; a multiple-entry PRTD cannot run past your passport's expiry date.
3. Qualifying time abroadIf you rely on accompanying a Canadian citizen or on employment by a Canadian business, include proof of the relationship, the citizenship or PR status of the person, and the full-time assignment abroad.
4. Humanitarian factorsIf you request H&C consideration, explain the reasons for the absence, your ties to Canada, efforts to return and any children affected, with documents for each point.
5. Country-specific documentsHolders of a Chinese passport applying from China must include an exit-and-entry record from the Public Security Bureau covering 5 years, translated into English or French. Check the checklist IMM 5644 for any other documents that apply to you.

Urgent PRTD

1. 5-day ruleRequest urgent processing once you are outside Canada and your return trip is within the next 5 days.
2. Qualifying reasonsA job opportunity, work for your current job, your own serious illness, serious illness or death of a family member, loss or theft of your PR card while temporarily abroad, a crisis, emergency or vulnerable situation, or another reason an officer considers legitimate.
3. ProofItinerary or ticket, the trip receipt, a letter explaining the urgency, and supporting proof such as a doctor's note, death certificate or employer letter.
4. Mark the requestTick "Yes, my request is urgent" in the portal, or write "urgent" on a paper application envelope. Urgent processing is not guaranteed.

After the decision

If you decide not to keep PR status

Voluntary renunciation uses form IMM 5782 (with checklist IMM 5783 and guide IMM 5781). There is no fee. A person outside Canada loses PR status as soon as the renunciation is approved, and can then apply for a visitor visa or eTA. Renunciation may be refused in some situations, including after the appeal period has expired or an IAD appeal was lost. Think carefully about the effect on a future citizenship application and on family members before choosing this route.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• IRCC: Permanent resident travel document
• IRCC: How to apply for a PRTD
• IRCC: Guide 5529, applying for a PRTD
• IRCC: Apply urgently for a PR card or PRTD
• IRCC: Understand permanent resident status
• IRCC: Am I still a permanent resident?
• IRCC: 2026 PRTD program delivery update
• IRCC: Voluntarily renounce PR status
• IRB: Notice of appeal, residency obligation
• Justice Laws: IRPA section 28 (residency obligation)
• Justice Laws: IRPA section 63 (right of appeal)

This page is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy as of the date above. It is not legal advice for your situation. Programs, forms and fees change often; check the official sources before you apply.