The new Canadian passport is unveiled at an event at the Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

By The Canadian Press

Ottawa’s 30-days-or-free policy for issuing passports now in place

Apr 1, 2026 | 12:28 PM

OTTAWA — The federal government’s new “30 days or free” policy for issuing passports takes effect today.

If it takes more than 30 business days to process an application, applicants will get a full refund of their passport or travel document fee.

The government says applicants should be compensated if the government doesn’t meet its service standards.

It says most passports are processed within the service standard of between 10 and 20 business days.

The new 30-day guarantee doesn’t include mailing time and the countdown starts when the government receives a complete application.

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The standard won’t apply to all services, such as urgent and express services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press