A guarantor for a Canadian passport must meet several specific criteria including being a Canadian citizen, 18 years of age or older, having known the applicant personally for at least 2 years, and holding a valid or recently expired Canadian passport. The guarantor must also be available to confirm information about the applicant if contacted by passport authorities. Occupation-based guarantors are accepted for applications submitted outside Canada and can include professionals such as judges, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, police officers, notaries, lawyers, medical doctors, deans or heads of universities or colleges, and certain bank or financial institution officers. Retired professionals can also act as guarantors if they remain listed with their professional association. Additionally, family members or members of the applicant’s household can act as guarantors if they meet the above requirements. A parent or legal guardian cannot be a guarantor when applying for a child’s passport but the other parent or legal guardian not submitting the application can be the guarantor if they qualify. If a suitable guarantor cannot be found, applicants may use a statutory declaration in lieu of a guarantor, signed in the presence of an authorized official such as a notary public or commissioner for oaths. Summary of key guarantor requirements for Canadian passports:
- Canadian citizen aged 18 or older
- Known applicant personally for at least 2 years
- Holds a valid or recently expired (no more than 1 year) Canadian passport
- Available to verify applicant information
- Professionally qualified for occupation-based guarantors outside Canada
- Family members allowed if meeting above criteria (except parents or legal guardians for child applications)
- Statutory declaration option if no guarantor available.
Would further details on the statutory declaration option or specific occupation-based guarantors be helpful?
