Canadian Passport Guarantor or Reference From Australia

For a Canadian passport application made from Australia, you usually need a guarantor and two references. The guarantor is normally an eligible Canadian passport holder who has known you for two years. From outside Canada, Canada's guidance also allows an occupation-based guarantor, such as a notary or lawyer licensed and working locally. Renewals generally need no guarantor.

Key takeaways

• A guarantor confirms your identity; references are people Canada may contact about you.
• The standard guarantor is a Canadian citizen with an eligible Canadian passport who has known you for two years.
• From outside Canada, an occupation-based guarantor may be used, and the listed occupations include notary public.
• You need two references who are not family and have known you for two years.
• If no guarantor is available, there is a statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor.
• Renewals generally do not need a guarantor. Always check the current Canada.ca guidance.

What is a guarantor, and what is a reference?

Canada's passport program uses two kinds of people to confirm who you are. The guarantor signs your application, certifies one of your photos and signs copies of your identification documents, confirming that you are the person applying. References are two people who know you and whose names and contact details you list on the form; the passport program may contact them to check your identity, but they do not sign anything.

The two roles have different rules, and the same person cannot fill both. Your guarantor cannot also be one of your references, and your references cannot be members of your family. Understanding the difference early saves a returned application.

Who can be a standard guarantor?

According to Canada.ca, a standard guarantor must be a Canadian citizen aged 18 or over who was at least 16 when they applied for their own passport. They must hold a five-year or ten-year Canadian passport that is valid on the day you submit your application, or expired for no more than one year, and they must have known you for at least two years. For applications in Canada, the guidance says the guarantor can be anyone meeting those rules, including a family member or a member of your household.

From Australia, the hard part is usually finding a Canadian passport holder who has known you for two years. If you have Canadian friends or colleagues here, or a relative living in Australia with a current Canadian passport, they may qualify. Check their passport's type and expiry date before they sign.

What is an occupation-based guarantor?

For applications submitted from outside Canada, Canada.ca says you may also use an occupation-based guarantor: a person registered or licensed with the appropriate local authority to practise their profession and currently working in that field. The listed occupations include judge, dentist, pharmacist, veterinarian, police officer, notary public, lawyer, medical doctor, the dean or head of a university or college, and a signing officer of a bank or trust company. So an Australian professional in one of those fields may be able to act as your guarantor even though they are not Canadian.

Read the current guidance carefully for the conditions that apply, including whether the person must have known you for a set time and what they need to write on the form, because the details matter and they can change. An Australian notary who is asked to act as a guarantor will want to see the guidance too, since they are signing in that capacity and not performing an ordinary notarial act. Our guide to what a notary public does explains the difference between a notarial act and signing as a guarantor.

Role	Who	Main conditions	What they do
Standard guarantor	Canadian citizen, 18 or over	Eligible Canadian passport; known you two years	Signs the form, a photo and ID copies
Occupation-based guarantor (abroad)	Licensed, working professional in a listed field	Registered locally; check the current conditions	Same signing tasks
References (two)	Adults who know you	Known you two years; not family; not the guarantor	Listed on the form; may be contacted
Declaration in lieu of guarantor	You	When no guarantor is available	A sworn or solemn declaration before an authorised person

Who can be a reference?

You list two references on the application. Canada.ca says each must be 18 or over and have known you for at least two years, and neither can be your guarantor or a member of your family, which includes spouses, parents, children, siblings and grandparents. References do not need to be Canadian, and they do not sign anything. They do need to be reachable, because the passport program may contact them.

Good references are usually friends, neighbours or colleagues. Tell them in advance that you have listed them, and check their phone numbers and addresses so the details are right.

What does the guarantor sign?

Canada.ca describes three tasks. The guarantor completes and signs their section of the application form, stating where and when they signed and how long they have known you. They write on the back of one of your passport photos, as the guidance directs, and sign it. And they sign and date the photocopies of each of your supporting identification documents. The details of what to write can change between form versions, so the guarantor should follow the instructions on the form you are using.

A guarantor who is a notary signs as a guarantor, not as a notary. They may still use care that is second nature to them, checking your identification against you and your photos, but the passport form defines what they are confirming. Our guide to how identity is verified covers what careful identity checks look like.

What if you cannot find a guarantor?

Canada's guidance provides a fallback: a statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor, form PPTC 132. You make the declaration before a person authorised to administer an oath or solemn affirmation, and the guidance notes that this person does not need to know you personally. For declarations made outside Canada, Canada.ca describes who may take it, including Canadian or British consular representatives and qualified local officials, and elsewhere it mentions notaries. Ask the passport program, or check the form's current instructions, to confirm who is accepted in Australia before you book anyone.

The guidance notes that using the declaration may delay processing and that it is completed at your own expense. It is a fallback, not a shortcut, so try the guarantor options first. Our guide to declarations and affidavits explains what a solemn declaration involves.

How do you prepare a Canadian passport application from Australia?

1. Pick the right form. Use the current form for adults or children applying from outside Canada, or the renewal form if you qualify.
2. Check whether you need a guarantor. Renewals generally do not; first passports and many replacements do.
3. Choose your guarantor. A Canadian passport holder who has known you for two years, or an occupation-based guarantor who meets the current conditions.
4. Choose two references. Adults who have known you for two years, not family and not your guarantor.
5. Get compliant photos. Follow Canada's photo specifications exactly, and leave the back blank for the guarantor.
6. Copy your ID. Make clear photocopies of your supporting documents for the guarantor to sign and date.
7. Submit as instructed. Follow the current instructions for applying from outside Canada, and use tracked delivery.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is using the same person as guarantor and reference. The second is listing a family member as a reference, which the guidance does not allow. The third is using a guarantor whose Canadian passport has been expired for more than a year, or was not a five-year or ten-year passport. Check the passport before the guarantor signs anything.

With occupation-based guarantors, the usual problem is assuming that any professional qualifies. The person must be in one of the listed fields, registered or licensed locally, and currently working in it. A retired doctor or a lawyer who no longer holds a practising certificate may not meet the rule, so check the current wording. Our guide to a notary and a JP may help if you are weighing who to ask about a declaration.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

Marc, a Canadian citizen living in Brisbane, needs a new adult passport because his old one expired years ago and he does not qualify for renewal. He has no Canadian friends in Australia. He reads Canada's guidance, sees that occupation-based guarantors are allowed for applications from outside Canada, and asks his pharmacist of several years, who is registered and still practising. The pharmacist checks the current conditions, completes the guarantor section, certifies a photo and signs his ID copies. Marc lists two work colleagues as references.

In short

A Canadian passport application from Australia usually needs a guarantor and two references. The guarantor is normally a Canadian passport holder who has known you for two years, but from outside Canada an occupation-based guarantor, including a notary public or lawyer licensed and working locally, may be used. If no guarantor is available, there is a statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor. Our document notarisation services page explains how notarial work fits in.

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