Canada's passport change
- Canada introduced a new passport fee structure with a guaranteed 30-day processing window starting April 1, 2026. - The policy ties processing guarantees to an inflation-linked pricing model for passport services. - The change aims to speed document turnaround for travelers, replacing slower queues with a paid 30-day guarantee option (travelandtourworld.com)
Canada began a new passport rule on April 1: if a complete application takes more than 30 business days to process, the government refunds the fee. (canada.ca) The guarantee applies to passport and travel document applications submitted in Canada, and the clock runs from the day a complete application is received to the day the document is printed and verified. Refunds are issued automatically if the service standard is missed. (canada.ca) The pricing changed at almost the same time. Applications received on or after March 31, 2026, pay higher fees, including C$163.50 for a 10-year adult passport, C$122.50 for a 5-year adult passport, and C$58.50 for a 5-year child passport. (canada.ca) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the increases reflect inflation and the cost of producing secure travel documents, and that passport and travel document fees will now be adjusted every year under the Service Fees Act. (canada.ca) The change follows a year of broader passport-service reforms. In March 2025, the federal government said it would add a 30-business-day guarantee and launch online passport renewals as part of a modernization push. (canada.ca) The legal framework also shifted in January. Ottawa removed the old fee-adjustment formula from the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations, then used a remission order to forgive uncollected fee increases tied to the earlier rules from April 1, 2025, to January 25, 2026. (gazette.gc.ca) A second order published in April remitted debts from fee increases the department did not collect between April 1, 2025, and January 25, 2026, while the new pricing system was being put in place. (gazette.gc.ca) For travelers, the practical change is simpler than the regulations: higher passport fees now come with a published processing promise, and missing that deadline triggers a refund instead of a longer wait with no compensation. (canada.ca)
