IRCC mails PR cards only to Canadian addresses, and only to the one it has on file. If you move after you apply, here is when you must tell IRCC, which tool to use, and what happens next.
Checked Sep 25, 2026 against canada.caNotice: moving within 3 weeks
You have applied, and you move within 3 weeks or already movedIRCC's own wording. Before you submit, you simply enter the new address in the application.
Where cards are mailed
Canadian addresses onlyIn rural areas without home delivery, to a post office box. Never to a third party.
How
IRCC's change-of-address pageThree questions send you to the right tool for your application.
How long the update takes
Up to 10 business daysUp to 5 business days with the address notification service for new permanent residents.
1
When you have to tell IRCC
IRCC says
If we approve your application, we'll usually mail you your PR card. We send PR cards only to Canadian addresses. You need to tell us if you've already submitted your application and you're moving within 3 weeks or have already moved.1
You do
Not submitted yet? There is nothing to report. Put the address where you will receive mail in section 2 of IMM 5444: residential first, and a mailing address only if it differs and is still yours.
Submitted, and moving within 3 weeks or already moved? Tell IRCC now, with the tool in the next step.
Moving further out? IRCC's wording covers moves within three weeks, but its change-of-address page applies to any application in progress. If the card could arrive after you leave, update the address as soon as the new one is certain.
IRCC's change-of-address page asks what you applied for, whether you became a permanent resident in the last 180 days, and how you applied. For a permanent resident card, the answers lead here:
Your situation
IRCC sends you to
Update time
You became a PR in the last 180 days (the first card IRCC sends automatically)
The address notification service. If you can't use it, the web form.
Up to 5 business days
You applied for your PR card online, in the PR Portal
IRCC's web form
Up to 10 business days
You applied on paper, your new address is in Canada, and you move within 3 weeks or already moved
The change of address service, or the web form
Up to 10 business days
2
Send the new address
IRCC says
If we don't have your current email or mailing address, important documents could be delayed or lost, and your application may be refused or considered abandoned. It might take up to 10 business days for your address to be updated. In the meantime, monitor your current address to avoid missing important communications.2
You do
Open IRCC's change-of-address page on canada.ca and answer its three questions: Permanent resident card, whether you became a PR in the last 180 days, and Online or On paper.
For a renewal or replacement made in the PR Portal, the answer is IRCC's web form. The tool does not send PR card applicants to the portal to change an address.
Keep an eye on mail at the old address until the update goes through, and keep any confirmation IRCC sends you.
IRCC's change-of-address page
On canada.ca. It links to the right tool for your answers.
Don't give a friend's or a representative's address. IRCC cannot mail a PR card to a third party.
3
IRCC may ask you to pick the card up
IRCC says
We may ask you to pick up your PR card at one of our offices. When you go to pick it up, bring your passport or other travel document and the original versions of any documents you submitted copies of when you applied. If you don't pick up your card within 180 days, we'll destroy it, and you'll have to apply for a new one and pay the fee.1
You do
Watch your email and mail after you report the move, in case IRCC asks you to pick the card up.
If it waits at an office, go with your passport and the originals of the documents you uploaded as copies.
Do not let the 180 days run out: after that, it is a new application and a new $50 fee.
The card never arrived
It can take up to 6 weeks beyond the normal processing time for you to get your PR card. After that, what IRCC asks depends on how long it has been.3
6 weeks but less than 180 days: complete IRCC's solemn declaration for a card never received (IMM 5451). Make sure the Canadian home address you give on it is correct. IRCC reissues the card.
180 days or more: fill out a new application in the PR Portal and complete Section 6, Details Concerning a Lost, Stolen, Damaged or Never Received PR Card. Explain what happened and any efforts you made to contact IRCC, then pay the fee and submit.
If IRCC finds it made an error, it refunds the fee and issues a new card. If not, it issues a new card.
A first card after you land
New permanent residents do not apply for a first card. IRCC says it automatically sends your first PR card if you give it your Canadian mailing address and photo within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident. If you don't, you must apply for a PR card.
Within those 180 days, the address goes through IRCC's address notification service, not the web form.2
Common questions
How do I change my address for my PR card application?
Use IRCC's change-of-address page on canada.ca. For a PR card application made online, it sends you to IRCC's web form; for a paper application with a Canadian address, to the change of address service or the web form; for a first card within 180 days of landing, to the address notification service.
Can I change my address in the PR Portal?
Before you submit, yes: it is part of the IMM 5444 form. After you submit, IRCC's change-of-address tool points online PR card applicants to its web form, not to the portal.
How long does an address change take?
IRCC says up to 10 business days with the web form or the change of address service, and up to 5 business days with the address notification service. Keep checking mail at the old address meanwhile.
Can IRCC mail my PR card outside Canada or to a friend?
No. IRCC sends PR cards only to Canadian addresses, and cannot mail one to a third party. In rural areas without home delivery, it mails the card to a post office box.
What if my PR card was sent before I updated my address?
If it has not reached you 6 weeks after the processing time, and less than 180 days have passed, send IRCC the solemn declaration for a card never received (IMM 5451) with your correct Canadian home address. After 180 days, you apply for a new card.
1.canada.ca, getting your PR card after you apply — canada.ca
2.canada.ca, change or update your email or mailing address — canada.ca
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