PR Card Renewal in Canada: Checklist, How to Renew Online, Fee and Processing Time

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PR card renewal in Canada is done online: if you are in Canada and your card expires in less than 9 months, or has already expired, you apply in IRCC’s Permanent Residence Portal with form IMM 5444 and document checklist IMM 5644, then pay the $50 fee to IRCC online and upload the receipt. IRCC’s posted processing time for renewing or replacing a card was 46 days when we checked on 11 November 2026. An expired card does not end your permanent resident status, but IRCC says that to keep that status you must have been in Canada at least 730 days in the last five years. Outside Canada without a valid card? You cannot renew from abroad; you apply for a permanent resident travel document instead.

PR card renewal: quick facts (each line checked on IRCC’s own pages on 11 November 2026)

Which PR card route applies to you?

Your route depends on where you are and whether your card is still valid: in Canada with a card expiring within 9 months (or expired), you renew online; outside Canada without a valid card, you need a permanent resident travel document (PRTD), not a renewal. If your five-year day count may be below 730 days, sort that out before you choose any form.

• You are in Canada and your PR card expires in less than 9 months, or has expired: apply to renew through the Permanent Residence Portal using IMM 5444 and checklist IMM 5644.
• You are outside Canada and still have a valid PR card: use the valid card to return to Canada by commercial carrier. Apply for renewal when you are physically in Canada and inside the renewal window.
• You are outside Canada without a valid PR card: apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return by commercial carrier. IRCC requires PR card applicants to be in Canada.
• Your five-year day count may be below 730 days, or you rely on qualifying time outside Canada: do not treat this as a routine form-filling file. Review the residency calculation and supporting evidence before deciding what to submit.
• You need the card urgently: check IRCC’s urgent-processing criteria and evidence requirements. IRCC says it can’t process a PR card application in less than 3 weeks and can’t guarantee you will get it on time.

A PR card renewal, a PRTD and a residency-obligation problem are not the same application. Start with your location, card validity and five-year travel history before you choose the form.

How do I renew my PR card online?

You renew online in IRCC’s Permanent Residence Portal: you fill out IMM 5444 inside the portal, upload the completed IMM 5644 checklist with your documents, pay the $50 fee to IRCC separately and upload the receipt, then sign and submit. IRCC’s PR card application page (page dated 4 August 2026, read 11 November 2026) sets out these steps.

1. Sign in to, or create, a Permanent Residence Portal account.
2. Start the application and fill out the application for a permanent resident card, form IMM 5444, inside the portal.
3. Complete the document checklist, form IMM 5644, and upload it along with the documents it asks for and any additional forms your situation needs.
4. Pay the fee to IRCC online. IRCC says fees are not paid through the Permanent Residence Portal; you pay separately and upload your receipt to the portal’s fee payment section.
5. Review the application, sign it electronically with your full name as it appears on your passport, and submit it in the portal.
6. Track the application (see “How do I check my PR card renewal status?” below).

Some people search for this as “extending” a PR card; the IRCC process is called renewing.

The only paper route on that IRCC page is for a card IRCC issued with an error: you ask for it to be reissued at no cost, by mail, with the Request to Reissue form (IMM 5531), within 60 days of receiving the card. Regular mail goes to the PR Card Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia; after 60 days, IRCC directs you to apply for a new card through the portal.

Two practical notes. IRCC’s Help Centre says your PR card application must include photos that meet IRCC’s photo specifications, and that if the photos are in the wrong format it will return your application, so get the photo right before you start. And do the day count before step one, because the count decides whether this is a form-filling exercise or a file that needs advice first.

What documents do I need to renew my PR card?

You need form IMM 5444 (completed in the portal) and IRCC’s document checklist IMM 5644, plus everything that checklist asks for; IMM 5476 is added if a representative acts for you. Before you open the portal, also have your five-year travel history with dates, every passport covering that period, your current card, compliant photos and your Canadian mailing address ready.

The forms

There are two forms you will always meet, and a few more that depend on your circumstances. All of them are named on IRCC’s PR card application page, read 11 November 2026.

• IMM 5444, Application for a Permanent Resident Card. The application itself. In the Permanent Residence Portal you fill it out inside the portal rather than downloading and posting it.
• IMM 5644, Document Checklist. The list of what has to go in with the application. IRCC asks you to complete it and upload it to the portal.
• IMM 5476, Use of a Representative, if a consultant or lawyer is acting for you.
• IMM 5475, Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual, if you are authorising IRCC to release information about your application to someone else.
• IRM 0002, Request for a change of sex or gender identifier, if that applies to you.

Download every form from IRCC’s own website and nowhere else. Forms copied from third-party sites can be out of date, and an out-of-date form can delay your application.

Your PR card renewal checklist

IRCC’s checklist is IMM 5644, and that is the one your application is measured against. Before you open the portal, have these ready; the first two items come first because they decide whether this is a routine renewal.

1. Your travel history for the last five years, with dates. Every departure and every return. Passport stamps, boarding passes, and entry and exit records are how you evidence it.
2. The day count itself. At least 730 days in Canada during the last five years, and those days don’t need to be continuous (IRCC, read 11 November 2026).
3. Every passport and travel document covering that period, expired ones included.
4. Your current PR card, or the details of it if it has been lost or stolen.
5. Photos that meet IRCC’s photo specifications. Read the specification before the photos are taken, not after.
6. Your current Canadian mailing address, because that is where the card goes.
7. The $50 fee, ready to pay to IRCC online.
8. IMM 5476, if a representative is acting for you.

Then check every item against IMM 5644 before you submit. A checklist in an article is a preparation aid. IRCC’s checklist is the requirement.

How to count your days before you apply

Which five years count depends on how long you have been a permanent resident, not on your card’s issue date: under section 28 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a permanent resident of five years or more is assessed on the five years immediately before the examination, and a newer one on whether they will be able to meet 730 days in the five years after becoming a permanent resident. Some time outside Canada can count, such as full-time work abroad for a Canadian business or organization or a Canadian government (see our guide on working for a Canadian company outside Canada). List every trip out of Canada with dates before you start, and use our Appendix A residency obligation guide for how the days are counted and proved.

What do our RCICs see on PR card renewals?

Usman Khalil, RCIC R709592, says the most common problem is travel history, and that the residency requirement and the card’s expiry date are two different things. His answers to our three questions are below, in his own words.

When should I apply to renew my PR card?

Apply when your card will expire in less than 9 months, or once it has expired; IRCC’s application page gives exactly that window. Applying late has a real cost, because processing time is not something you control.

A sensible order, working back from IRCC’s 9-month window:

• Nine to twelve months out, pull your travel history and count your days. Do this before anything else, because the count determines whether renewal is straightforward or whether you need advice first.
• Nine months out, gather documents and get photos taken to specification.
• Apply as soon as you are inside the nine-month window.
• Do not book non-refundable international travel against an application you have not received a decision on.

How long does PR card renewal take?

IRCC’s processing-times tool showed 46 days for “renewing or replacing a permanent resident card” when we checked it on 11 November 2026, with IRCC’s own “last updated” date of 4 November 2026. IRCC says that figure is updated weekly, so check the live processing time on the day you plan around it.

The posted time is IRCC’s figure, not a promise for your file. Our IRCC processing times guide explains how to read the tool for other application types. Times move, and last year’s number is not a guide to this year’s.

Can I get urgent processing for my PR card?

Only if you meet one of IRCC’s listed reasons and send proof of it, and even then IRCC says it can’t process a PR card application in less than 3 weeks. IRCC also says it can’t guarantee you will get your card or travel document on time, even if you are eligible for urgent processing.

The minimum is three weeks. It is not same-day and it is not a week.

IRCC says you must show that you need the PR card or PRTD to travel for one of these reasons: a job opportunity; work related to your current job; your own serious illness; the serious illness or death of a family member; the loss or theft of your PR card while you were temporarily outside Canada; a crisis, emergency or vulnerable situation you are in; or other reasons an officer may deem legitimate, which applies to permanent resident travel document applications only. A booked holiday is not on that list.

For a travel document, the same IRCC page sets a timing condition on top of the reason: you can apply urgently for a PRTD once you are outside Canada and your flight back to Canada is leaving within the next 5 days. A flight within 5 days does not qualify on its own; you still need one of the listed reasons, with proof of travel and proof of the urgency.

How to ask, per the same IRCC page (dated 17 October 2025, read 11 November 2026): online, tick “Yes, my request is urgent” in the Permanent Residence Portal; on paper, write “urgent” on the envelope; if you already applied, use IRCC’s web form. Include proof of travel showing your destination and dates (such as your itinerary or a copy of your ticket), a copy of the receipt for your trip showing the date, amount paid and payment method, a letter explaining the urgency, proof of the urgency (such as a doctor’s note, death certificate or letter from your employer) and, if applicable, English or French translations. Without proof, or if your situation doesn’t qualify, IRCC processes the application normally.

Can I travel while my PR card renewal is in process?

You can travel, but IRCC says you can get your card only when you’re in Canada and it can’t mail your card outside Canada. If the card isn’t ready before you leave and you have no valid card, IRCC says that once you’re outside Canada you need to apply for a PRTD to return by commercial vehicle.

The rule turns on how you come back. IRCC’s travel page (dated 7 August 2025, read 11 November 2026) says that to return by plane, bus, boat or train you need a valid PR card along with a valid passport or travel document, while in a private vehicle you can use your PR card or other documents. IRCC’s Help Centre adds that an expired PR card can’t be used as a travel document.

Can I renew my PR card from outside Canada?

No. IRCC’s eligibility page says you must be in Canada to be eligible for a PR card “because we don’t mail PR cards outside Canada”, and that without a valid card you must apply for a PR travel document to travel back.

The travel document is applied for online through the Permanent Residence Portal with the same IMM 5444 form, and the fee is also $50. It is not a formality: IRCC says it assesses a PRTD application to confirm that you met your residency obligation and are still a permanent resident, so if you are short of 730 days, get advice before you file. Our PRTD guide covers how to apply, the paper route, urgent PRTD processing and what happens if you do not meet the residency obligation.

What if my PR card is lost or stolen?

If you are outside Canada, IRCC’s fee list says to apply for a permanent resident travel document to return if your card is lost or stolen; inside Canada, you replace it through the same get, renew or replace process in the Permanent Residence Portal. Our guide to a lost or expired PR card walks through each case, in Canada and abroad, and our permanent resident travel document guide covers the abroad route step by step.

Does my PR status expire when my PR card expires?

No: IRCC says “you won’t lose your PR status when your PR card expires”. Permanent residence is a status and the card is the document that proves it; the two run on different clocks.

A PR card is usually valid for five years, and some are valid for only one (IRCC application page). It is the document that lets you board a plane, train, bus or boat to Canada as a permanent resident. That is its job.

Permanent resident status is a legal status. IRCC’s status page (dated 9 April 2026, read 11 November 2026) says you lose it only if an officer determines you are no longer a PR after an inquiry or PRTD appeal following a refusal, you voluntarily renounce it, a removal order made against you comes into force, or you become a Canadian citizen. An expired piece of plastic is not on that list. Becoming a citizen is the step many permanent residents plan for next; our Canadian citizenship application guide covers it.

Status is also what carries your rights. IRCC says that if you’re a permanent resident living outside Canada, you can’t sponsor a spouse, partner or dependent child (page dated 23 June 2026, read 11 November 2026). If that is part of your plan, our guide to sponsoring a spouse or partner sets out what the sponsor has to show.

What if I don’t have 730 days in Canada?

Then the card is no longer the real issue: IRCC’s eligibility page says a PR card is for people who have not lost their status by, for example, failing to meet the residence requirement. Our Appendix A residency obligation guide explains how the 730 days are counted, which time abroad counts and what evidence IRCC expects, so read it before you file anything.

How much does PR card renewal cost?

The government fee for a permanent resident card is $50, on IRCC’s fee list dated 10 November 2026 and read on 11 November 2026. A permanent resident travel document, the separate document you need if you are abroad without a valid card, is also $50 on the same list.

The fee is paid to IRCC online, separately from the Permanent Residence Portal, and the receipt is uploaded into the application. Fees change. Check the live fee list on the day you pay rather than trusting any article, including this one, and pay the government fee only through IRCC’s own online payment, keeping the receipt.

Your first card is different

IRCC says “most people don’t need to apply for their first PR card”: it automatically sends your first card if you give your Canadian mailing address and photo within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident (read 11 November 2026). Miss that window and you apply, and pay, like anybody else. If you are in Canada and still waiting for IRCC’s first email asking for basic information, our guide to the P1 email from IRCC covers the steps that come before the card.

How do I check my PR card renewal status?

IRCC’s check-status page (dated 20 October 2026, read 11 November 2026) gives two online ways for PR card applications: create a secure IRCC online account and link your application to it, or use the Client Application Status tool. If you applied online, IRCC notes that the secure account is a different account than the one you used to apply.

For the Client Application Status tool, IRCC asks you to gather the documents you have received about your application and have their identification numbers ready.

What neither route gives you is a delivery date. A status of “in process” is not a promise about timing, so do not book non-refundable international travel against it.

When should you get professional help with a PR card renewal?

A straightforward renewal, where you clearly meet the residency obligation and your travel history is complete, can often be prepared directly from IRCC’s instructions. Professional review becomes more useful when the application is no longer routine:

• Your five-year calculation is close to, or below, 730 days.
• You are relying on time outside Canada that may count toward the residency obligation.
• You are outside Canada without a valid PR card and need to assess a PRTD together with a possible residency shortfall.
• Your travel dates or supporting records do not line up cleanly and you need to reconstruct the history before filing.
• You are considering urgent processing and need to determine whether your facts and evidence fit IRCC’s published criteria.

The useful question is not whether someone can fill in IMM 5444 for you. It is whether there is a residency, evidence or travel-document issue that should be identified before you submit.

What else do people ask about PR card renewal?

The short answers below repeat the key points of this guide for quick reference. Each one was checked against the same IRCC pages on 11 November 2026.

How do I renew my PR card online?

Through IRCC’s Permanent Residence Portal. Sign in or create an account, fill out form IMM 5444 inside the portal, complete and upload document checklist IMM 5644 with the documents it asks for, pay the $50 fee to IRCC online and upload the receipt, then review and submit. The only paper route IRCC describes on its PR card application page is a request to reissue a card that has an error, made within 60 days of receiving it.

What form do I need to renew a PR card?

Form IMM 5444, Application for a Permanent Resident Card, together with document checklist IMM 5644. Add IMM 5476 if a consultant or lawyer is acting for you. IRCC also lists IMM 5475, the Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual, and IRM 0002, the request for a change of sex or gender identifier.

How much does PR card renewal cost?

$50, on IRCC’s fee list read on 11 November 2026. A permanent resident travel document is also $50. The fee is paid to IRCC online, not through the Permanent Residence Portal, and the receipt is uploaded into the application.

How long does PR card renewal take?

IRCC posts the processing time for renewing or replacing a PR card in its online processing-times tool and updates it weekly. Check the tool on the day you plan around it, because the figure changes.

How do I check the status of my PR card renewal?

IRCC gives two online ways: create a secure IRCC online account and link your application to it (if you applied online, this is a different account than the one you used to apply), or use the Client Application Status tool. For the tool, gather the documents IRCC has sent you about your application and have their identification numbers ready.

Does my PR status expire when my PR card expires?

No. IRCC says you won’t lose your PR status when your PR card expires. Status ends only if an officer determines you are no longer a permanent resident after an inquiry or PRTD appeal following a refusal, you voluntarily renounce it, a removal order against you comes into force, or you become a Canadian citizen.

Can I stay in Canada with an expired PR card?

Yes. IRCC says that when your card expires you still have your PR status and can stay in Canada, although you may still need a valid card for some services in your province. You need a valid card to return to Canada by commercial vehicle after a trip abroad.

How many days do I need to keep permanent residence?

IRCC says you must have been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years, and the days do not need to be continuous. Some time outside Canada can count, such as full-time work abroad for a Canadian business or a Canadian government, or travelling with a spouse, common-law partner or parent who is a Canadian citizen.

Can I renew my PR card from outside Canada?

No. IRCC’s eligibility rules say you must be in Canada to get a PR card because it does not mail cards outside Canada. If you are abroad without a valid card, apply for a permanent resident travel document to return by commercial vehicle.

When should I apply to renew?

When your card will expire in less than 9 months, or once it has expired. Count your days in Canada before you apply, not after.

I am short of 730 days. Should I just apply and hope?

No. A shortfall does not automatically end your status, but how and where it is assessed changes your options substantially. Get advice before you file, particularly if you are outside Canada.

Should I apply for citizenship instead?

If you meet the citizenship requirements, including physical presence, citizenship is often the better long-term answer for many people, because a Canadian citizen has no PR residency obligation. The two requirements are different, and meeting one does not mean meeting the other.

IRCC and Justice Laws pages checked on 11 November 2026

• IRCC, Get, renew or replace a PR card (page dated 2026-08-04): canada.ca
• IRCC, Who can apply for a PR card (page dated 2025-05-28): canada.ca
• IRCC, Understand PR status (page dated 2026-04-09): canada.ca
• IRCC, Apply urgently for a PR card or PRTD (date modified 2025-10-17): canada.ca
• IRCC, Permanent resident travel document (page dated 2026-10-30): canada.ca
• IRCC, Guide 5529, Applying for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (page dated 2025-07-30): canada.ca
• IRCC, Travelling outside Canada as a permanent resident (page dated 2025-08-07): canada.ca
• IRCC Help Centre: time abroad that counts (2026-11-03): ircc.canada.ca ; PR card expired (2026-11-03): ircc.canada.ca ; card expired while outside Canada (2026-11-03): ircc.canada.ca ; photos with a PR card application (2026-11-03): ircc.canada.ca
• IRCC, Fee list (date modified 10 November 2026): ircc.canada.ca
• IRCC, Check processing times (tool “last updated” 4 November 2026): canada.ca
• IRCC, Check your application status (page dated 2026-10-20): canada.ca
• IRCC, Sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child: who can apply (page dated 2026-06-23): canada.ca
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, section 28 (current to 2026-10-19): laws-lois.justice.gc.ca

This article is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy. It is not legal advice and it does not create a consultant and client relationship. Immigration rules change without notice. Confirm your own situation with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant or a lawyer before you act.