How to Apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document

In order to get back to Canada with an expired PR Card, you may need to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD). Click here for potential ways of avoiding applying for a PRTD.

How to Complete the IMM 5524 PRTD Application

The first thing you need to remember is that if you are overseas with other family members is that everyone who has an expired PR Card and needs a PRTD has to complete their own application form.

In order to get a PRTD, each family member who needs one must complete the IMM 5524 APPLICATION FOR A TRAVEL DOCUMENT (PERMANENT RESIDENT ABROAD). Here’s how.

First, indicate whether you want service in English or in French. Here is the French version of the application form.

Part 1 – Proving Your Personal Information for the PRTD

1. Your full name (as it appears on your Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688) or Permanent Resident Card):
   • Family name – your last name as shown on one of the above documents
   • Given name(s) – your first and middle names (if applicable) as shown on one of the above documents, so if your middle name isn’t listed on your PR Card, for example, then don’t include it here
   • Other names (for example, maiden name, son/daughter of, other family name, other given name) – if you married before you landed, for example, you would include your maiden name here.
2. Your sex: Female or Male.
3. Your date of birth: Enter your DOB in YYYY-MM-DD format.
4. Your place of birth:
   • Town/City – The city, down or village you were born in
   • State/Province – The province or region you were born in (or, if you’re American, your state of birth)
   • Country – The country you were born in.
5. Country of Citizenship: If you have more than one citizenship, this is the country of citizenship with which you applied for permanent residence in Canada.
6. Passport Number: You need to include both the passport number and the expiry date. The expiry date of your passport may determine the validity of your Permanent Resident Travel Document.
7. Your marital status (choose one): This is your marital status on the date that you apply for your PRTD.
   • Single – Never married
   • Married – Currently legally married, even if you are physically but not legally separated
   • Widowed – You were married but your spouse has died
   • Divorced – You are legally divorced (not separated)
   • Engaged – You are engaged to be married
   • Separated – You are legally separated but not yet legally divorced
   • Common-law partner – you are in a relationship with a common-law partner and IRCC has information to this effect.
8. Date and place you became a permanent resident of Canada:
   • Date (YYYY-MM-DD) – The exact date you landed as a Permanent Resident in Canada; if you came as a temporary resident first, do not use that landing date
   • City – The city of the port of entry you landed in, for example if you landed at Pearson Airport, the city is Toronto; if you landed at land crossing and don’t know the exact town, name the land crossing as best you can
   • Province – The province you landed in.
9. The number on your Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Permanent Resident Card: If you have your expired PR Card with you, use that number. If you do not, use the number of your Record of Landing or COPR if you have that with you. If you do not know any of these numbers, leave this field blank.
10. When were you last physically present in Canada (YYYY-MM-DD): DO NOT LIE. If the officer suspects you of lying, a Residency Determination will be initiated and you could lose your status. If you know you are close to not meeting the Residency Obligation, answer the question truthfully and you may be allowed to travel back to Canada (provided you have completed the application correctly) in order to meet the Residency Obligation. If you don’t answer the question truthfully, this could trigger a Residency Determination.
11. When do you intend to return to Canada (YYYY-MM-DD): Your answer to this question may influence the validity of your Permanent Resident Travel Document.
12. 1. Your permanent address in Canada:
       • Street and no. – The street and number of your house or apartment. If you live in an apartment, include the number here.
       • City – The city, town, village or, if you live in the country, county or region, you live in, in Canada.
       • Province – The province or territory you live in, in Canada.
       • Country – Canada
       • Postal Code – In A1B 2C3 format
       • Telephone no. – If you have a home phone, enter it here. If you do not have a landline, enter your Canadian cell phone (the latter may raise suspicions).
    2. Your current address outside Canada: This information must be correct as this is where your PRTD will be mailed. If you will not be staying in this location for long, enter your mailing information in 12C.
       If you are staying in a hotel, enter that information. If you are staying with family, enter that information. If you own property outside of Canada and are staying there, enter that information. The information you enter below should match the country from where you are applying for your PRTD.
       • Street and no. – The street, number and apartment or room number where you are staying. If you are staying in a hotel, hostel, or other place that you are renting by the day, week or month, indicate here what it is (hotel, hostel, guest house, inn, B&B, airB&B, etc.)
       • City – The city, town or village where you are currently staying – it does not have to be the city of the visa office
       • Province – The province, region or county you are staying in, depending on what kind of sub-national divisions the country you are currently in uses
       • Country – This needs to be a country served by the visa office you are applying to, otherwise they may direct you to a different visa office; if the address and country do not match, your application will likely be rejected
       • Postal Code – If you know the postal code of where you are staying, enter it here; ask staff at your hotel when in doubt
    3. Your mailing address outside Canada (if different from above): Complete this section if, for example, you had to travel to the Canadian visa office and will be returning to a different location before your PRTD is mailed to you. The same rules apply. This information must be correct.
       • Street and no. – The street, number and apartment or room number where you will be staying when your PRTD is sent out
       • City – The city, town or village where you will be staying when your PRTD is mailed to you
       • Province – The province, region or county where you will be staying when your PRTD is mailed
       • Country – The country where you will be staying in when your PRTD is sent out
       • Postal Code – The postal code of where you will be staying, in the correct local format.
       • If we need to reach you while we process your application Your telephone no. (country code, area code and number) – This section must be completed as this is the number they will call if something goes wrong with the delivery of your PRTD
       • Your e-mail address (if available) – As vital as your phone number, do not leave this blank if you have access to email during your stay outside of Canada.
13. Answer “Yes” or “No”:
    1. Were there any terms and conditions applied to you at the time you were granted permanent residence or landed in Canada? – If this is the case, there would be some indication on your Record of Landing or COPR, or on your PR Card and you may have received some correspondence to this effect
    2. Have you ever lost your status as a permanent resident of Canada? – “Yes” only if you have had your PR status revoked and/or been asked to leave Canada at some point since you landed in Canada as a permanent resident
    3. Have you ever submitted an appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board against a decision on the residency obligation? – If, while renewing your PR Card, your status was revoked and you appealed, answer “Yes”
    4. Have you ever been issued a Returning Resident Permit or a Travel Document? – Have you applied for and were granted a PRTD before? If so, answer “Yes”

    If you answered “Yes” to any of the questions above, provide details below. Use an extra sheet of paper if you need more space: Take this part very seriously if it applies to you. If you answered yes to one of the above questions, you will have to show that you are still a permanent resident.

14. Your activities and employment: Give details of what you have been doing during the past five (5) years. Include jobs held, periods of unemployment, time spent studying, etc. If you became a permanent resident less than five years ago: list your activities and employment from the time you became a permanent resident to present: This information will help the officer determine whether or not you have met the Residency Obligation. Be as thorough as you possibly can.

Part 2 Proving You Meet the Residency Obligation

15. Time spent in Canada When were you physically present in Canada? List all periods you spent in Canada during the past five (5) years. If you became a permanent resident less than five (5) years ago: list time spent in Canada from the time you became a permanent resident to present: This is the opposite of what you include on the PR Card renewal application. Figure out when you took your trips outside of Canada and then figure out the days you were physically present in Canada in the last five years by subtracting those trips from the total five year period, using the table in the application form and an addition piece of paper if necessary.
    If the total number of days is equal to or greater than 730 days, skip to the Declaration: This means you’ve met the Residency Obligation! You should be granted a PRTD and allowed to return to Canada. The Declaration is below question 18 at the bottom of the last (3rd) page.
    If the total number of days is less than 730 days, answer the following questions: This means you have not met the Residency Obligation and are now required to prove that you qualified for one of the exemptions in order to get your PRTD and not have your status revoked.
16. Absence while accompanying a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident outside Canada Have you accompanied a Canadian citizen or permanent resident while outside Canada?: If you lived with a Canadian citizen outside of Canada, the days you lived with them will be toward the Residency Obligation.
    • No – If this is note the case, proceed to question 17
    • Yes
      • Name of person you accompanied: You need to include the full name of the person so the officer can verify the person is either a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident
      • Relationship to you:
        • Spouse – You will need to provide a copy of your marriage certificate and a certified translation if the marriage certificate is not in English or French. Include the date of your marriage in the space provided.
        • Common-law – You will need to provide evidence of your common law relationship (shared lease/deed, shared bills, etc.) and may need or want to complete a Statutory Declaration to the effect that you are in a common-law relationship. Include the date you began living together common-law in the space provided.
        • Parent – You will need to provide your long-form birth certificate with the parent’s name displayed on it.
      • He or she is a:
        • Canadian citizen (provide proof of his or her Canadian citizenship) – Provide a copy of the citizen’s Canadian passport, birth certificate or citizenship certificate or card
        • Permanent resident of Canada who is employed outside of Canada on a full-time basis by a Canadian business, or by the federal or provincial public service in Canada. (Provide proof of the person’s status in Canada and proof of employment) – You will need to provide a copy of their valid PR Card and proof of their employment by one of the eligible organizations, such as an employment contract and a letter on appropriate letterhead from the organization in question

        Date Canadian citizenship or permanent residency was acquired (YYYY-MM-DD): Date they naturalized or date they landed in Canada as a permanent resident.

    • List the periods when you were outside of Canada and accompanying the person above during the past five (5) years. If you became a permanent resident less than five (5) years ago: list the periods from the time you became a permanent resident to present: You must have been living together permanently for all the dates listed.
17. Absences while employed by a Canadian business Have you been employed outside of Canada on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or by the public service of Canada or of a province of Canada?:
    • No – Proceed to the “calculation” part of this question
    • Yes – You will need to provide proof of employment by one of the eligible organizations such as a contract of employment and a letter on organization letterhead to explain why you have been overseas; all of the included dates must be while you were in the employ of this organization

    Calculation

    • Total number of days from question 15 – The total number of days you spent in Canada during the last five years (or since you became a Permanent Resident if less than five years ago), PLUS
    • Total number of days from question 16 – The total number of days you spent overseas living with a Canadian citizen, or living with a Canadian Permanent Resident employed for one of the eligible organizations mentioned above, PLUS
    • Total number of days from question 17 – The total number of days you spent overseas in the employ of one of the eligible organizations mentioned above
    • GRAND TOTAL – Add up the above three lines

    If your grand total is equal to or greater than 730 days, skip to the Declaration – At the bottom of the page
    If your grand total is less than 730 days and you have been a permanent resident for five years or more, answer question 18.
    Note: If your grand total is less than 730 days and you have been a permanent resident for less than five years, you may wish to answer question 18. The visa office will consider your answer to this question if it is apparent that you will not meet the residency obligation.

18. Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds If the visa office determines that you do not meet the residency obligation, are there humanitarian and compassionate considerations that would justify the retention of your permanent resident status? If applicable, also include humanitarian and compassionate considerations relating to the best interests of a child who may be directly affected by this residency determination. Use an extra sheet of paper if you need more space: H and C can include things such as being forced against your will to stay outside of Canada. You will have to backup any statements you make in this section.

Signing the PRTD Declaration

By signing the Declaration, you consent to the following:

• I certify that the information given on this form and in any documents attached is correct, complete and accurate – And you are acknowledging that if it is not correct, that it can be used against you in determining whether or not you met the Residency Obligation
• If this form pertains to a child under the age of 14, I certify that I am one of the child’s parents or guardians.
• I understand the foregoing statements, having asked for and obtained an explanation on every point that was not clear to me: You are acknowledging that you have sought help from an immigration consultant or lawyer or a family member if you don’t understand something. Or you have sought help from a Visa Application Centre
• I further understand that the information provided by me may be verified and hereby consent to such verification activities: Your records with IRCC and CBSA will be pulled to verify the information and you consent to this.
• I also understand that it is a serious offence to provide false or misleading information and that the provision of false or misleading information may result in loss of my permanent resident status and may be grounds for my prosecution or removal from Canada.

Sign and date the form.

Where to Submit the IMM 5524 PRTD Application Form

In most cases, you need to submit your IMM 5524 to the appropriate Visa Application Centre (VAC):
Don’t see your location in the list? Find the nearest VAC

What is the Residency Determination?

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