Form PPTC 203 is the declaration a Canadian citizen files when a passport or other travel document has been lost, stolen, damaged, made inaccessible, or found after being reported missing. You complete it alongside a replacement passport application, and the government uses it to permanently cancel the compromised document and flag it in international security databases. The form is a PDF on the Government of Canada website and is also available in paper at any passport office or Service Canada Centre.
When You Need to File It
The form covers five situations, and any one of them is enough to require it:
- Lost: you cannot find the document after reasonable searching.
- Stolen: someone took it, whether by theft, break-in, or pickpocketing.
- Inaccessible: the document still exists but you cannot retrieve it, for example because foreign authorities are holding it or it is trapped in an area affected by conflict or a natural disaster.
- Damaged: water damage, torn pages, a broken cover, or anything else that makes the document unfit for travel.
- Found: you recovered a passport you had already reported missing, or you found someone else’s Canadian travel document.
Report the Loss Before You Fill Out the Form
Call the Passport Program at 1-800-567-6868 as soon as you realize the document is gone. If you are outside Canada, contact the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate instead. That call starts cancellation immediately, which is what limits the window for anyone else to misuse the passport.
Once reported, the document information goes into the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC). INTERPOL pulls the record from CPIC into its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database, which border officials in member countries check.1Government of Canada. Information for Law Enforcement: What to Do with a Lost, Stolen or Found Canadian Travel Document
Filling Out the Form Section by Section
Before you start, pull together whatever you can find about the missing document: number, date of issue, and place of issue. You can leave those blank if you don’t know them, but they speed up cancellation.
Section 1: Personal Information
Enter your information exactly as it appeared on the document. Full legal surname and given names, sex, date of birth, and place of birth (city, country, and province or state where applicable). Add the document number, date of issue, and place of issue if you have them. The form asks whether the document itself is being submitted with the declaration. Check “Yes” if you are turning in a damaged or found document, “No” if it is missing. Sign, date, and enter the city and country where you are signing.
Section 2: Lost, Stolen, or Inaccessible Documents
This is the core section if your passport is gone. Write a clear account of how it left your possession, what you did to try to recover it, the date it disappeared, and when and where you last used it. Be specific. “Left in a taxi in Barcelona on June 3 after returning from the airport” is far more useful than “lost while travelling.”
The section asks whether you filed a police report. If yes, provide the date, report or file number, and the name of the law enforcement agency. If no, explain why not. Another question asks whether the document was seized or surrendered, which is where you note if foreign authorities confiscated it or you handed it over under duress. Finally, you’ll say whether any other provincial or federal ID was lost or stolen at the same time.
Section 3: Damaged or Found Documents
Use this section instead if you are reporting a damaged passport or turning in one you found. Describe how the document was damaged or how you came across it, explain why you need a replacement (for damaged cases), and give the date and location of the incident. If you found someone else’s passport, complete this section and attach a letter describing where and when you found it.
Section 4: Declaration
This is the formal statement that everything you wrote is true. Sign, date, and add a daytime phone number. False or misleading statements can lead to refusal or revocation of your travel document and to criminal prosecution under Section 57 of the Criminal Code, which carries up to two years’ imprisonment if prosecuted as an indictable offence.2Department of Justice Canada. Criminal Code – Forgery of or Uttering Forged Passport3Government of Canada. Declaration Concerning a Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Canadian Travel Document
Submitting the Form with Your Replacement Application
PPTC 203 almost never travels alone. It goes in with your replacement passport application, along with photos, proof of citizenship, and a supporting identity document. The submission channel depends on where you are.
Inside Canada
After calling 1-800-567-6868, check whether you qualify to renew rather than apply as a first-time applicant. Renewal is simpler: no guarantor, no proof of citizenship, no supporting ID. Include the completed PPTC 203 with your application and submit the package in person at a passport office or Service Canada Centre, or by mail to a processing centre.4Government of Canada. Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Passports and Other Travel Documents
From the United States
Same first step: call 1-800-567-6868, then check renewal eligibility. Applications from the U.S. are mailed, with a 20-business-day processing standard plus mail time. Child passports cannot be renewed from the U.S.; a full new application is required each time.5Government of Canada. Renew a Passport from the US
From Anywhere Else Abroad
Contact the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate to report the loss and ask about replacement options. Submit PPTC 203 and the replacement application through that office. If you need to travel before a full replacement can be issued, ask about emergency or temporary travel documents.4Government of Canada. Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Passports and Other Travel Documents
Fees and the Lost-or-Stolen Surcharge
Replacing a lost or stolen passport costs the standard passport fee plus a $45 surcharge for the extra security work involved in validating the loss.6Government of Canada. Pay Your Application Fees Online As of March 31, 2026, the standard fees are:7Government of Canada. Passport and Travel Document Fee Changes
- 10-year adult passport in Canada: $163.50
- 5-year adult passport in Canada: $122.50
- 5-year child passport in Canada: $58.50
- 10-year adult passport outside Canada: $266.25
- 5-year adult passport outside Canada: $194.25
So a lost 10-year adult passport replaced from within Canada runs $208.50 in total. The $45 surcharge applies whichever passport type you are replacing.
Faster Processing If You Need to Travel Soon
Paid expedited options are available at passport offices that offer in-person pickup:
- Urgent pickup, ready by end of the next business day: $125.75 on top of your passport and replacement fees.
- Express pickup, ready in 2 to 9 business days at most locations (a handful of offices have slightly longer windows).
- Weekend or statutory holiday emergency service, for genuine travel emergencies: $383.50 on top of the other fees.
These are in-person services only, not available by mail.8Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Get Urgent, Express or Emergency Weekend Passport Services
What Happens After You Submit
Once PPTC 203 is processed, the reported document is permanently cancelled. If you later find the old passport wedged behind a dresser, it is still dead. You cannot use it for travel under any circumstances.3Government of Canada. Declaration Concerning a Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Canadian Travel Document Trying to cross a border with a cancelled passport can result in detention, since the document sits in the CPIC and INTERPOL databases border officers check.1Government of Canada. Information for Law Enforcement: What to Do with a Lost, Stolen or Found Canadian Travel Document
The government may also review the circumstances of the loss before issuing your replacement, which can add processing time. That review is more likely if you have reported passports lost or stolen more than once. Under the Canadian Passport Order, the Minister has broad discretion to refuse a new passport where an applicant does not provide satisfactory information.9Justice Laws Website. Canadian Passport Order Repeated losses do not automatically trigger refusal, but they can lead to a limited-validity passport or an extended investigation.
Children’s Passports
The steps are the same in outline: report the loss, complete PPTC 203, apply for a replacement. The differences are that child passports cannot be renewed (you file a full new application every time), all parents or legal guardians generally need to sign the application, and any custody agreement or court order affecting the child’s travel rights should be included with the paperwork.
The child replacement fee is $58.50 in Canada as of March 31, 2026, plus the $45 surcharge, for a total of $103.50.7Government of Canada. Passport and Travel Document Fee Changes From abroad, the base child fee is $102.50, so the total is $147.50.
Returning a Found Passport
If you find a Canadian passport, whether your own previously reported one or a stranger’s, return it. Inside Canada, drop it off in person at a passport office, Service Canada Centre, or a local police or RCMP station. You can also send it by registered mail or courier to:
HIOB – Passport Protection, 6th floor
Gatineau, QC K1A 1L1
Canada
Include a completed PPTC 203 (Section 3) and a short letter describing how, when, and where you found the document. Outside Canada, return the found document to the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate with the same letter.4Government of Canada. Lost, Stolen, Inaccessible, Damaged or Found Passports and Other Travel Documents Do not try to use a passport you previously reported missing, no matter how intact it looks. The moment you filed the declaration, that document became permanently invalid.