Backgrounder: Latest Improvements to the Passport Program

Online passport renewals 
In December 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) began gradually rolling out online passport renewals to a limited number of adult eligible applicants in Canada. Some Canadians who visit Canada.ca/passport will be able to complete their application, pay fees, and upload a professional-digital photo securely and conveniently from their computer or mobile device. This phased roll-out allows IRCC to carefully monitor, adapt and refine the process to make sure it works as intended before making it available to more Canadians over the coming months. This digital option will reduce the wait times at Service Canada points of service and provide clients with the added convenience of accessing this service anytime and anywhere in Canada.   

Expanding access and improving in-person service
Service Canada also recently expanded 10-business day passport service to the Iqaluit and Yellowknife Service Canada Centres. As with other locations that offer this service, clients who apply at the Service Canada Centres in these communities will have the option to pick up their passport in person, or have it mailed to them (mailing time is not included). This service expansion further reinforces Service Canada’s vital presence in northern, rural and remote communities.  

On January 20, 2025, to increase transparency on government services, Service Canada started publishing estimated wait times on Canada.ca for in-person services at all Service Canada Centres. Previously, the estimated wait times were only available online for the 60 offices offering 10-business day passport service. Before leaving home, walk-in clients can now check the wait times for all the offices in their area and select the most appropriate location based on their needs.  

As announced in the Fall Economic Statement, Service Canada is developing a digital queuing system for in-person services. This initiative would give clients the freedom to join a digital queue from home, or upon arrival, for the Service Canada Centre or passport office of their choice, minimizing the amount of time spent in line. 

Upgrades to passport processing and delivery 
New systems for intake and processing have been successfully implemented in all points of service to improve efficiency, strengthen security and increase Canadians’ access to passport services in Canada. When system outages do occur, Service Canada and IRCC work quickly to stabilize operations and minimize impacts to clients. 

In addition, in the near future, the Government of Canada will introduce a new policy that guarantees passport application will be processed within 30 business days, or it will be free. Canadians will get a full refund of their passport application fees if their complete application, either submitted by mail, in-person or online, takes longer than 30 business days to process. Mailing time of the application and the passport is not included in this situation. This is part of the ongoing effort to modernize passport services and improve overall client experience, and to compensate Canadians if the Government does not meet its service standards. Strict quality controls remain in place so that the Government can continue to deliver the same high-quality passports that Canadians deserve. 

Last fall, a new Passport Production Centre was opened in British Columbia. This new facility increases print capacity and strengthens business continuity. It is the first such production centre in Western Canada, further assisting with the nationwide production of passports.