Portolan Passport validity

How many months of passport validity do you need for Canada?

To enter Canada, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months.

The rule

Check your own dates

The rule is one thing; whether your passport clears it on your travel dates is another. Turkey counts 150 days, not five months. Costa Rica counts one day. Schengen countries check two rules at once.

Run the check for Canada

If you are staying a while

Digital nomad visaYes6 months
Cost of living72index — higher is more expensive
Internet155 Mbpstypical fixed broadband
Safety index62higher is safer
Personal income tax15% - 33%
CurrencyCAD

Different source, different confidence. Unlike the entry rule above — which comes from government advice — this profile is our own hand-maintained research, last reviewed 2026-07. Treat it as orientation, not as an official figure, and check anything you plan to act on.

What happens if you do not meet it

Airlines check validity at check-in and can refuse to board you — they face fines of 3,500 to 10,000 US dollars for carrying a passenger who is then refused entry. One denied boarding costs the traveller between 1,200 and 2,400 US dollars in lost fares, hotels and rebooking. In 2025, 1.2 million people were denied boarding or entry over passport problems, and 40% of those were validity.

Source, word for word

To enter Canada, your passport must be valid for the length of your planned stay. If you're travelling through another country on your way to or from Canada, check the entry requirements for that country. Many countries will only allow entry if you have at least 6 months validity remaining on your passport.

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice for Canada · updated 2026-06-02 · written for British passport holders. Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

This verifies published rules. It does not guarantee entry — the final decision is always the border officer's. If your passport is not British, your destination's rule may differ: confirm with the embassy.

Other destinations

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