How to Renew Your Canadian PR Card

Your PR card is proof of your status as a permanent resident of Canada. You need it mostly for travel: airlines and other commercial carriers will not let you board a flight, train, bus, or boat to Canada unless you show a valid PR card or a permanent resident travel document (PRTD).

Your status and your card are different things:

• Your status lasts until you become a citizen, give it up voluntarily, or lose it through an official decision, for example for not meeting the residency obligation or for serious criminality
• Your card expires, usually after 5 years, and must be renewed

So an expired card does not mean you are no longer a permanent resident. But if you are outside Canada with an expired card, you need a PRTD to fly back.

If you are eligible, becoming a Canadian citizen ends the need to renew a PR card at all. See how to apply for citizenship.

Apply for a new card if:

• Your card will expire in less than 9 months, or
• Your card has already expired

Don't apply earlier than 9 months before expiry unless you have another reason, such as a name change or a lost, stolen, or damaged card. Processing times vary, so apply as soon as you are in the 9-month window if you plan to travel. Check current times with our processing times tool.

You must be in Canada to apply and you need a Canadian mailing address. If you are outside Canada and your card has expired, apply for a PRTD instead.

When you apply, you list your absences from Canada for the last 5 years (or since you became a permanent resident, if that was less than 5 years ago). IRCC uses this to check that you have been physically present in Canada for at least 730 days in that period.

• If you meet the 730 days, the renewal is usually routine.
• If you don't, IRCC may review your case. This can lead to a formal finding that you have not met the obligation, which can lead to loss of PR status. You can appeal such a decision, and humanitarian and compassionate factors can be considered.

Count your days carefully with our residency obligation calculator before you apply. Some time spent outside Canada counts, such as time accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse. If you are short of 730 days, talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before you apply. It may be safer to wait until you meet the requirement.

Most people can apply online through their IRCC account. You will need:

• A digital photo that meets IRCC's PR card photo specifications
• A copy of your current PR card (front and back), or your COPR or record of landing if you never had a card
• A copy of your passport or travel document
• Your travel history for the last 5 years, with dates of every absence from Canada
• Proof of name change, if relevant
• Payment of the CAD $50 fee (as of September 2026, from the IRCC fee list)

Answer every question fully and honestly. Leaving out trips or giving wrong dates is misrepresentation, which can have serious consequences.

IRCC may mail your new card or ask you to pick it up in person at an IRCC office, where an officer may ask questions and check your original documents.

You can ask for urgent processing if you need to travel soon for a reason such as:

• A serious illness or death in your family
• A job you would lose if you can't travel
• Your own illness or medical treatment

Include proof, such as a doctor's letter, a death certificate, or an employer letter, and your travel dates. IRCC decides whether to process the application urgently; it is not guaranteed.

If you are already outside Canada, urgent PR card processing is not available. Apply for a PRTD at the visa office responsible for the country you are in.

Don't book non-refundable travel until your new card is in your hands.