A missing card does not change your status. Here is how IRCC replaces it, what to upload, and what to do if you are abroad or your first card never arrived.
Verified Sep 18, 2026 against canada.ca and Guide 5445Replacement fee: $50
The Permanent Residence PortalThe same IMM 5444 application as a renewal. You must be in Canada: IRCC does not mail PR cards abroad.
Fee
$50 CADThe same fee as a renewal, paid on IRCC's payment site, not in the portal.
Police report
Include it if you have oneA copy of the report or the incident number.
Damaged card
Destroy it and upload a photo of itOnly chip damage has a separate, possibly free, route.
1
First, where are you right now?
IRCC says
If you're outside Canada and don't have a valid PR card, or your card has been lost, stolen or damaged, you need to apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return to Canada.2
You do
In Canada: apply for a replacement card in the PR Portal. The steps are below.
Outside Canada: a PR card cannot be mailed abroad, and a PRTD can only be requested from outside Canada. Apply for the PRTD first, then replace the card once you are home.
Coming back by car from the US: in a private vehicle, IRCC says you can use your PR card or other documents that CBSA lists. A flight, train, bus or boat needs a valid PR card or a PRTD.
Abroad without a card?
Who needs one, how to apply from abroad, and the fee.
If you lost your PR card, include a copy of a police report or incident number with your application, if you have one.3
You do
If you reported the loss or theft to the police, keep the report or the incident number. IRCC's wording is "if you have one".
Upload it with your PR card documents when you apply.
If you only want to report the card and do not need a new one yet, IRCC takes a solemn declaration (IMM 5451) instead of an application.
3
Apply for the replacement in the PR Portal
IRCC says
A lost, stolen or damaged card is replaced with the same application as a renewal: the IMM 5444 form, the IMM 5644 checklist, and the fee. "Fees are not paid through the Permanent Residence Portal."1
You do
In the portal, choose replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged card as your reason for applying.
Upload the usual documents: a copy of your identity document, your photo (front and back), and the fee receipt.
Pay the $50 fee on IRCC's payment site, then upload the receipt.
The form asks the same five-year questions as a renewal, including your time outside Canada. Have your trips ready.
If your card is split, bent, worn or scratched, you need to apply for a new card: destroy the card and upload a photo as proof. If only the chip is damaged, send IRCC its web form with photos of the front and back; IRCC may send you a new card for free.1
You do
Chip damage only: use the web form on the canada.ca page, not a new application. A free card, if IRCC sends one, keeps the same expiry date.
Any other damage: photograph the card, destroy it, and apply for a replacement in the portal with the photo as proof.
On a paper application, the damaged card itself goes in the envelope instead.
5
New name or gender: the documents
IRCC says
Include a copy of a legal change of name document, court order or adoption order, or a marriage certificate, divorce decree, registration, declaration of union, revocation of declaration or annulment of union. You must also include a copy of your Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688).3
You do
Apply for a new card in the portal and upload the document that shows your new name, plus your IMM 1000, IMM 5292 or IMM 5688.
Name changed outside Canada? IRCC asks for a foreign passport or other national document showing the new name, and an official document linking the old and new names.
Changing the sex or gender identifier? Add IRCC's form IRM 0002 to the application.
Reclaiming an Indigenous name has its own route in Guide 5445, with a free replacement.
It can take up to 6 weeks beyond IRCC's processing time for a card to reach you, first card or renewal. Past that, what you do depends on how long it has been.4
Between 6 weeks and 180 days: complete IRCC's solemn declaration for a card never received (IMM 5451), with your correct Canadian home address. IRCC reissues the card.
After 180 days: apply for a new card in the portal, fill in the section on a lost, stolen, damaged or never received card, and pay the fee.
Moved since you applied? Tell IRCC through its change-of-address tool. A card IRCC asks you to pick up at an office is destroyed if not collected within 180 days.
Common questions
Do I need a police report to replace a lost PR card?
IRCC asks you to include a copy of a police report or the incident number "if you have one", along with your application.
How much does a PR card replacement cost?
$50 CAD, the same as a renewal. You pay on IRCC's payment site and upload the receipt in the PR Portal.
Can I travel while my replacement card is on its way?
To come back by plane, train, bus or boat you need a valid PR card or a permanent resident travel document (PRTD), and a PRTD can only be requested from outside Canada. By private vehicle, IRCC says you can use your PR card or other documents that CBSA lists.
How do I change the name on my PR card?
Apply for a new card in the PR Portal with the document that shows your new name (for example a marriage certificate or a legal change of name document) and a copy of your IMM 1000, IMM 5292 or IMM 5688.
My first PR card never arrived. What do I do?
If it has been more than 6 weeks beyond IRCC's processing time and less than 180 days, send IRCC the solemn declaration for a card never received (IMM 5451). After 180 days, you apply for a new card and pay the fee.
1.canada.ca, get, renew or replace a PR card — canada.ca
2.canada.ca, travelling outside Canada as a permanent resident — canada.ca
3.Guide 5445, replacement and name change — canada.ca
4.canada.ca, getting your PR card after you apply — canada.ca
Cookies on this site
We would like to measure how people use the site, with Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics. They set cookies and record how pages are used. Say no and the site works exactly the same. How we use them