The cost of a Canadian passport is set to increase at the end of March — and the federal government’s new pricing approach suggests further hikes could follow.
An order-in-council adopted in late January by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government will link passport fees to the consumer price index (CPI). Beginning March 31, passport prices will rise by 2.7 per cent, reflecting the CPI increase recorded in April 2024.
Under the updated pricing, Canadians applying domestically will pay $123.24 for a five-year passport and $164.32 for a 10-year passport. Applicants outside Canada will see the cost of a 10-year passport increase to $267.02.
A broader fee review underway
According to an accompanying impact statement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the CPI-linked increase is only an initial adjustment.
“The passport program’s base fee structure alone can no longer support the cost of program operations,” the department wrote.
“Since the last time inflation was accounted for in program fees, the CPI increased by 14.5 per cent, leading to expenditures outpacing revenues by approximately $121 million in fiscal year 2024-25.
“The program is in the midst of a comprehensive fee structure review, which will result in options for fee adjustments to account for the true cost of operations.”
IRCC said the current fee structure does not account for several major expenses, including salaried program staff, domestic passport delivery processing and information technology costs.
“Altogether, the adjustment formulas do not account for roughly 85 per cent of the passport program cost of operations,” the department stated.
The document does not specify how much passport fees could rise once those additional costs are factored in.
Critics raise affordability concerns
Jenny Kwan, the NDP’s immigration critic, said some residents in her Vancouver East riding are already struggling to afford what has become an essential form of identification.
“That’s another burden that the Liberal government is putting on everyday Canadians,” she said.
Kwan added that framing the overhaul as a reflection of true operating costs “is absolutely code for the government to look to increase the cost of accessing a passport for everyday Canadians.”
IRCC acknowledged that higher fees could make it harder for some people to obtain or renew passports, particularly “clients with low incomes, families with multiple children, elderly clients, those with fixed incomes, students and youth, refugees and vulnerable consular clients.”
Between January and November 2025, the government received 4.19 million passport applications and issued approximately 4.02 million passports and other travel documents.
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner said many of her constituents continue to report problems with processing times.
Two years ago, she published an article scrutinizing the cost of passports and questionable government spending in relation to it.
“I think a lot of Canadians who have had challenges getting their passports processed in a timely fashion are going to wonder why they are paying more to get worse service,” she said.
Lingering service concerns
The federal government has faced ongoing criticism over passport processing delays, particularly following the surge in demand in 2022 as pandemic travel restrictions eased. News coverage at the time showed long lines of applicants waiting outside passport offices for hours.
Although processing times have improved since then, the government has had to issue significant refunds for missed service standards. Between Jan. 31, 2023, and March 31, 2025, Ottawa refunded $40 million in passport and travel document fees after failing to meet its processing timelines.
Under current rules, applicants receive a 25 per cent refund if their passport is issued one to 10 days beyond the service standard, and a 50 per cent refund if delays exceed 11 days.
From March 31 to Nov. 30, 2025, the government issued an additional 5,478 refunds totalling nearly $315,000. During that same period, 22,063 regular passport applications took longer than 30 days to process.
A promise still pending
Last March, then–minister of citizen services Terry Beech pledged to improve turnaround times while lowering delivery costs.
“Canadians can expect their passports to be processed within 30 business days,” Beech said at a news conference. “If not, then their passport will be free of charge.”
Nearly a year later, that promise has not yet been implemented.
However, a separate order-in-council from Global Affairs Canada indicates a related change. This includes refunding the $25 consular fee for travel documents not processed within 30 days. It will take effect at the same time as the 100 per cent passport delay refund.
“The remission order will come into force on April 1, 2026, in alignment with the implementation date set for the amended IRCC Passport Subordinate Remission Policy,” the government wrote.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab declined to answer questions about the timeline, and her office referred inquiries to departmental officials.
Those officials would not confirm whether the government still intends to follow through on the full-refund commitment or comment on the April 1 date referenced in the Global Affairs order.
Kwan said Canadians expect the government to honour its commitments.
“When they make a commitment, they should follow up and make sure that they follow through,” she said.
No time to waste
Do you think the price increases make sense or is it unnecessary? Whichever the case, it is critical for Canadians to have identification to live any semblance of a normal life. The consequences are significant for those who can’t afford legal ID.
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