Canada Passport ‘Money-Back’ Guarantee Starts In April 2026

Canada passport money-back guarantee starts in April 2026, i.e., beginning April 1, 2026, Canadian citizens can expect their passport applications to be processed within 30 business days. If the processing takes longer than this timeframe, applicants will receive their passport without paying the fee.

Individuals whose applications are not processed within the 30-day period will automatically receive a full refund of their passport application fees.

Moreover, this policy has been introduced to improve accountability and make passport services faster and more reliable. The goal is to give Canadians a clearer and more predictable experience when applying for passports.

The Government of Canada first shared this plan in March 2025. At that time, officials stated the program would start later in the same year. However, the launch was delayed.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) later confirmed the new start date of April 1, 2026. The announcement was made through an official online news release on March 3, 2026.

The policy will apply to all passport applications, no matter how they are submitted. Applications made online, in person, or by mail will all fall under the same rule.

The guarantee will cover several types of passport applications, including:

• Adult five-year passport in Canada
• Adult 10-year passport in Canada
• Child regular passport in Canada
• Adult five-year passport from abroad
• Adult 10-year passport from abroad
• Temporary passport

People applying for adult refugee travel documents and adult certificates of identity will also qualify for refunds if their applications are not processed within the required time.

How Refunds Will Be Issued?

For applications submitted within Canada or from the United States, refunds will be issued through a cheque. The cheque will be mailed to the address listed on the application.

For applications submitted from countries outside Canada and the United States, refunds may be returned to the applicant’s credit card if one was used. If not, the government may send the payment through cheque or electronic funds transfer.

Current Refund Policy

At present, the Government of Canada provides partial refunds if passport applications are processed outside the normal service timeline.

• Applications processed within 1–10 business days outside service standards: refunded 25% of service fee.
• Applications processed more than 10 business days outside service standards: refunded 50% of service fee.

However, according to the government, some charges cannot be refunded under the Service Fees Act. These include:

• $25 consular fee for adult applications

This fee is collected on behalf of Global Affairs Canada for facilitating consular services outside Canada.

• Fees related to urgent or expedited passport service. For example: transfer fees, or urgent and express pick-up services.
• Applications for child certificates or identity and child refugee travel documents.

Passport Fees Will Increase Soon

Along with the new refund policy, the government has also confirmed that passport fees will rise slightly for applications submitted on or after March 31, 2026.

The table below shows the current passport fees and the updated fees that will take effect after that date.

These are the fees Canadians can expect to pay if their passports are processed within the 30 business days service standard.

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