What to know about Canada’s passport application money back guarantee

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Service Canada expects to receive 5.74 million passport applications for 2024-25 and one way it plans to help deal with growing demand is with a money back guarantee: get your passport within 30 days or it’s free.

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At some point “later this year,” Citizens’ Services Minister Terry Beech promised, completed applications — submitted in person, by mail or online — will be processed within six working weeks.

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“If the government fails to process the application within that period, applicants will receive a full refund of their passport fees,” he announced on Friday.

Mailing time is not included in the 30 days.

The agency’s current service standard is 20 business days, but expedited service of 10 days is available at five dozen Service Canada passport centres across the country.

In a press conference, Beech said most people who submit in person receive their passports within seven days and 99 per cent are in receipt within 10.

What’s the latest on online renewal applications?

Beech also announced the gradual expansion of online passport renewal to all Canadians in 2025.

A pilot project promised for fall 2023, but not launched until late December 2024, allowed a limited number of people to apply online with a 20-day turnaround.

Beech said about 1,000 people successfully availed.

The initiative aims to reduce costs and free up Service Canada resources while making it so people no longer need to find time to apply in person or via mail.

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“They will be able to go through the application process at the time that works best for them.”

Why is Service Canada making efforts to speed up?

The agency’s passport service was taken to its knees by repeated COVID-19 pandemic-related blows. First, in-person liaising with clients, then the predominant method used by Canadians, was all but out of the question. Then, as travel restrictions eased, offices faced a 45 per cent increase in mail applications.

With an increased number of complex applications among them and COVID restrictions still limiting office and processing centre staff, it led to a “significant backlog.”

Even Karina Gould, the minister responsible at the time, said “there was a mismatch between demand and the capacity to meet it.”

By doubling the number of workers, Gould reported in March 2023 that Service Canada had nearly cleared the backlog. The agency reports 3.3 million passports were issued in 2022-23. Another 4.8 million were issued the following year.

The number of passports issued since 2021 has increased by 315 per cent.

How did Service Canada deal with the backlog and expedite passports?

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Given the expectation that passport demand will continue to increase and knowing the renewal phase is already underway for the first cohorts of people who purchased 10-year passports, the agency has been proactive in recent years to deal with surges.

Service centre capacity expansion began in 2022 and has resulted in 60 sites across Canada offering expedited 10-day service, most recently in Iqaluit and Yellowknife. A full-service office is promised for Charlottetown, P.E.I., “in the near future.”

The agency said 93 per cent of Canadians live within 50 kilometres of one of the 582 places offering passport service — 317 Service Canada Centres, 246 scheduled outreach locations, and 19 dedicated passport service sites.

While maintaining traditional mail and in-person services, Service Canada is also shifting to a digital-first model and introduced other online tools to streamline its efforts.

Online users can book a specific and convenient time up to 60 days in advance.

“Estimated wait times for all sites have been published on our website since January 2025, which helps to redirect clients to alternate locations with shorter wait times and also reduces lineups in busy offices,” Employment and Social Development Canada noted in its State of Service report.

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In mid-2023, it launched the online passport status checker, giving people the option to track their application without waiting on hold. Between April 1, 2024, and January 26, 2025, more than 833,000 people used it to make more than five million searches.

What are Canadian passport fees nowadays?

A five-year passport for a person 16 or older is $120, making the 10-year $160 option a far better deal for those who can swing it. For kids 15 and under, the cost is $57.

Tack on another $20 for standard 10-day pickup in-person, which is only available at one of the 60 sites mentioned above. Those in a hurry can choose express pickup (ready within 2-9 days) for an additional $50 or urgent pickup (ready by end of next business day) for $100.

A full breakdown of fees is available online.

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