Government of Canada announces important improvements to passport services

Recently, the Government of Canada released the first State of Service Report, a milestone in the Government of Canada’s commitment to service delivery excellence, efficiency, and accountability.

Delivered by Minister of Citizens’ Services, Terry Beech, a portion of the report provided a crucial update to current passport services.

As part of the government’s commitment to transparency and efficiency, a new passport service guarantee is being introduced.

Effective later this year, any complete passport application—whether submitted online, in person, or by mail—will be processed within 30 business days, or it will be free. If the government fails to process the application within that period, applicants will receive a full refund of their passport fees. Since 2021, passport issuance has surged by 315%, with 5.4 million passports expected to be issued in 2025.

The Government of Canada is making significant progress in modernizing passport services to improve accessibility and convenience. In December 2024, the government began piloting online passport renewals, allowing eligible Canadians to renew their passports from the comfort of their homes.

Minister Beech also announced a new passport processing and print centre in Surrey, British Columbia; expanded 10-business day passport service to 24 Service Canada Centres since 2022, including in Iqaluit, NU and Yellowknife, NT, bringing the total to 60 locations; and the implementation of a full-service passport office in Charlottetown, PEI, in the near future.