PPTC 040 — Adult Abroad General Passport Application

What is PPTC 040?

PPTC 040 is the Adult Abroad General Passport Application from the Passport Program of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It is the form for Canadian citizens aged 16 or over who are living in, or visiting, a country other than Canada or the United States and need a passport — whether it is their first Canadian passport or they simply can't use the shorter renewal. The current edition is PPTC 040 (02-2026); the French version is PPTC 041.

It is the overseas counterpart of PPTC 153, and most of it asks the same things: your personal details, proof of citizenship, identity documents, addresses and occupations for the last two years, two references and an emergency contact. The differences matter, though. Addresses are written with a country rather than a province, you hand the application to a Government of Canada office abroad, and your guarantor can be either a Canadian passport holder or a local professional such as a doctor, lawyer or pharmacist.

FileIt guides you through PPTC 040 one section at a time and prints your answers, in capital letters, onto IRCC's own official PDF. Your name, date of birth and email can be pre-filled from your People record in the FileIt vault, and the finished PDF is saved to that person's vault folder. FileIt never submits anything: you sign the three pages in ink, have your guarantor complete their part by hand, and take the application to the office yourself.

Who needs to fill out PPTC 040?

• Canadian citizens aged 16 or over who are abroad — outside both Canada and the USA — and need a Canadian passport.
• Adults applying for their first Canadian passport while living overseas, for example Canadians born abroad to a Canadian parent who now hold a citizenship certificate.
• People whose previous passport doesn't qualify for the simplified renewal: issued more than 15 years ago, issued before they turned 16, or valid for less than five years.
• Anyone who wants a different name or sex identifier from the one in their last passport, which the renewal form doesn't allow.
• Children under 16 use a different form, PPTC 042 (Child Abroad General Passport Application).
• Canadians living in the USA apply with the forms for Canada and the USA instead (such as PPTC 153 or PPTC 054).

When to use PPTC 040

• Well before any trip: the form recommends not finalizing travel plans until the new passport arrives, and the date you write in the travel box does not speed up processing.
• When your passport is expiring and the renewal conditions aren't met — the form lists them, and PPTC 482 is the shorter route if they are.
• If your current passport still has more than 12 months left, include a written explanation of why you are applying now; without an acceptable reason the application may be refused.
• All three pages must be signed within the 12 months before the application is submitted.
• If you need to travel in less than 20 business days, or need extra services, the instructions say to contact the Government of Canada office abroad before paying.

What you need before you start

• Two identical, unaltered passport photos taken by a commercial photographer within the last six months, with the studio's name, address and the date on the back.
• Original proof of Canadian citizenship: a Canadian provincial or territorial birth certificate, or a citizenship certificate (see section 4 for which copies are accepted).
• At least one valid government-issued identity document showing your name, date of birth, photo and signature — a local document from the country you live in counts.
• Your most recent Canadian travel document, valid or expired, with its number and date of issue.
• A guarantor: a Canadian passport holder who has known you for two years, or an eligible local professional who has known you for two years.
• Two references who are not relatives and not your guarantor, are 18 or over and have known you for at least two years.
• Your addresses and your work, school or other activity for the last two years, with months and years.
• An emergency contact's name, relationship, phone numbers and home address.
• Certified translations with form PPTC 659 for any document not in English or French.
• The fee, which is adjusted every year (the form points to Canada.ca/passport-fees).

What’s on PPTC 040

The 2026 edition has 8 pages. FileIt asks for it in 9 parts:

1. Section 1: Personal informationApplicant
2. Section 2: Declaration of guarantorGuarantor
3. Section 3: Previous Canadian travel documentApplicant
4. Section 4: Proof of Canadian citizenshipApplicant
5. Section 5: Documents to support identityApplicant
6. Section 6: Period of validityApplicant
7. Section 7: Additional personal informationApplicant
8. Section 8: ReferencesReferences
9. Section 9: Emergency contact informationApplicant

How to fill out PPTC 040, step by step

1 Section 1: Personal information

Give the surname and given names you want in the passport, every former surname (including your surname at birth), and the surname of one or both parents at their birth — write UNKNOWN if you don't know it. Then your place of birth (city, country and, for Canada or the USA, the province or state), date of birth, sex, natural eye colour and height with its unit.

Your current home address and, if different, a mailing address both take a country, because this is the overseas form. The passport is delivered to the mailing address. Add an email address and phone numbers with the country code. The anticipated travel date is optional. Sign the box on page 1 by hand; FileIt can print the date and the city and country where you sign.

2 Section 2: Declaration of guarantor

Your guarantor confirms who you are. They must communicate in English or French, have known you personally for at least two years, and be reachable by the Passport Program. There are two kinds. A Canadian passport holder (section J-A) must be a citizen aged 18 or over holding a regular 5- or 10-year Canadian passport that is valid or expired for no more than a year, applied for when they were 16 or older; they don't have to live in your country. An occupation guarantor (section J-B) must be currently licensed locally as, for example, a dentist, medical doctor, lawyer or notary, notary public, police officer, judge, pharmacist, veterinarian, university or college dean or head, or a bank signing officer — and work or live in the area the office serves. They don't need to be Canadian.

You can fill in the guarantor's name, passport number or occupation, date of birth or firm, relationship, phones and address. The four bold fields — years known, signature, date and place signed — are for the guarantor alone, by hand. If you haven't known an eligible guarantor for two years, use form PPTC 132 instead.

3 Section 3: Previous Canadian travel document

Say whether a Canadian passport, certificate of identity or refugee travel document has ever been issued to you, in any name, and give the most recent one's number and date of issue. Enclose it, valid or expired. Tick the box if you want it cancelled and returned; otherwise it is securely destroyed. A document that was damaged or reported lost or stolen is never returned, and if an unexpired one was lost, stolen, damaged or is inaccessible you also complete PPTC 203.

4 Section 4: Proof of Canadian citizenship

Part A is for people born in Canada: an original provincial or territorial birth certificate (registration number and date of issue) or a citizenship certificate. Part B is for people born outside Canada: a citizenship certificate, naturalization certificate, certificate of registration of birth abroad, or a certificate of retention issued before February 15, 1977. Citizenship certificates issued before February 1, 2012 must be originals; later ones can be originals or copies. The document is returned to you.

5 Section 5: Documents to support identity

List at least one valid identity document — up to two on the form — with its type, number, expiry date and your name exactly as it appears on it. It must be issued by a government authority, or the local equivalent abroad, and must not be the citizenship document from section 4. Originals are checked and returned; copies of both sides must be signed and dated by your guarantor. Sign the page 2 signature line by hand.

6 Section 6: Period of validity

Choose a 5-year or a 10-year passport. The fee differs by validity and is adjusted each year, so check the current amount before you pay.

7 Section 7: Additional personal information

Part A asks whether you have lived at your current home address for the last two years or, if not, the previous addresses with the months you lived there. Part B asks what you did over the same two years — in school, employed, or another form of occupation such as homemaker, retired or unemployed — and then up to four rows of details: employer or school, address, daytime phone, field of work or study, and the from and to months. If there isn't room, add form PPTC 056.

8 Section 8: References

Give two people who are not your relatives and not your guarantor, are 18 or over, and have known you for at least two years. For each: name, relationship, address with country, phone numbers, email and how many years they have known you. Tell them first — they agree to be contacted.

9 Section 9: Emergency contact information

This section is mandatory. Give someone who can be reached if you need help while outside Canada: their name, relationship, phones, email and home address. Sign and date page 3 by hand.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using PPTC 040 in Canada or the USA — those applicants use the in-Canada/USA forms such as PPTC 153 or the PPTC 054 renewal.
• Using this full form when you qualify for the shorter PPTC 482 renewal, which needs no guarantor or proof of citizenship.
• Choosing a guarantor who doesn't qualify: a professional who is not licensed locally or not in the office's area, or a passport holder whose passport expired more than a year ago.
• Filling in the guarantor's bold fields yourself — the years known, signature, date and place must be completed by the guarantor.
• Signing only page 1. All three pages need your signature, within the 12 months before you apply.
• Sending documents in another language without a translation and form PPTC 659.
• Photos that are home-printed, edited, or missing the studio details and the guarantor's certification on the back of one photo.
• Leaving out the emergency contact, which the form marks as mandatory.

After you fill it out

Print the PDF and sign it in ink: the box on page 1 and the signature lines on pages 2 and 3. Then give it to your guarantor, who completes the bold fields in section 2, writes "I certify this to be a true likeness of" and your name on the back of one photo and signs it, and signs and dates any copies of your identity documents. They do this free of charge, and you must not help them.

Submit the application at the nearest Government of Canada office that provides passport services in the country where you live or are visiting — a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate, but not one headed by an honorary consul — with the photos, proof of citizenship, identity documents, your previous travel document and the fee. The instructions note that online payment is available for all passport services, and that the passport is delivered to the mailing address on the form.

Keep a copy. FileIt stores the filled PDF in your vault, which also helps next time: once your new passport is issued, a future renewal abroad may qualify for the shorter PPTC 482.

PPTC 040: frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Blank form (PDF), published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — Passport Program: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/passport/forms/pdf/pptc040.pdf
• Official instructions and guidance: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports-abroad/new-adult-passport-abroad.html
• Edition shown on this page: PPTC 040 (02-2026) (checked 2026-09-26).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — Passport Program or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-26.

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