Passport applications: the statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor

Canadian passport applications normally require a guarantor — someone who has known you for at least two years and who signs to confirm you are who you say you are. For people who have recently arrived in Canada, or who have moved often, or who simply do not have a qualifying person in their life, this requirement can stop an application dead.

There is an alternative

If you genuinely cannot find a guarantor, Passport Canada allows you to submit a Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor instead. It is a formal sworn statement explaining why no guarantor is available. The form is published by the government and is completed alongside your application.

The declaration must be sworn or affirmed in front of a person authorized to take it — which includes a notary public or commissioner of oaths in Ontario. That is the part I handle.

What the process looks like

• Download the current declaration form from the Government of Canada passport pages — always take the latest version, forms are revised
• Complete it, but do not sign it
• Bring it to the appointment with two pieces of identification and your completed passport application
• You swear or affirm the declaration in front of me, sign it in my presence, and I apply my seal

You will usually need two references as well

The declaration route does not remove the requirement for references on the application itself. Read the passport instructions carefully — the declaration in lieu addresses the guarantor question specifically, not every identity requirement in the application.

What I can and cannot help with

I take the declaration, verify your identity, and seal it. I cannot advise you on whether your circumstances qualify, complete the passport application for you, or predict whether Passport Canada will accept it. Those questions belong to the passport office, and they answer them by phone.

A statutory declaration is $80. If you need other documents certified at the same appointment, they are charged at the additional-document rate.