Passports will be renewed in 30 business days or it’s free, says Service Canada

Service Canada has a message for travellers getting their documents in order: your passport will soon be renewed in six weeks, or it will be free.

Citizens’ Services Minister Terry Beech announced the 30-business-day service guarantee promise on Friday (March 7), as well as the launch of online passport renewals for this summer.

Starting 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 of charge, reads a government-issued news release.

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

The standard wait time for passport applications is 20 business days, or four weeks, with some locations offering faster processing of two weeks.

Service Canada’s new guarantee allows for an extra two weeks on top of the standard wait time, which remains at 20 business days.

Post-pandemic recovery

The update comes as the Government of Canada aims to modernize and streamline its passport services to improve accessibility and convenience.

It’s also a sign of post-pandemic recovery – during the COVID years, Service Canada struggled to keep up with a huge backlog of applications brought on by a surge in passport renewals.

In some cases, wait times dragged on for weeks, causing stress and frustration for travellers who had already purchased plane tickets.

“We are modernizing service delivery and improving the passport program to reduce wait times and costs while ensuring Canadians can access the support they need without unnecessary barriers,” stated Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizens’ Services Stéphane Lauzon.

In December 2024, Ottawa began piloting online passport renewals, allowing eligible Canadians to renew their passports from the comfort of their homes. As the rollout of this program continues, eligible Canadians will be able to complete their passport application, pay fees and upload a professional digital photo from their computer or mobile device.

The launch of an online Passport Status Checker has also provided some convenience to Canadians, with more than 833,000 users tracking their applications without waiting on hold.

Since 2021, passport issuance has surged by 315 per cent, with 5.4 million passports expected to be issued in 2025, the government says.

Since the launch of online passport renewals, nearly 1,000 Canadians have successfully renewed their passports online, according to Service Canada.

New passport centres

Minister Beech on Friday also announced a new passport processing and print centre in Surrey, British Columbia and expanded 10-business day passport service to 24 Service Canada Centres, including in Iqaluit, NU and Yellowknife, NT, bringing the total to 60 locations.

He also announced a full-service passport office for Charlottetown, PEI, which will open in the near future.

For the 2024–25 period, Service Canada expects to receive up to 5.74 million passport applications.

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