If you’re a Canadian who needs to renew your passport, there are two things you should know before March 31.
The federal government has announced that most passport and travel document fees will increase at the end of this month, marking the first price adjustment since 2013. But buried in the same announcement is something that works in your favour: a long-promised guarantee that could get your passport processed for free is now officially happening, with a firm start date.
Here’s what’s changing on both fronts.
The fee increase
Starting March 31, applications received on or after that date will be subject to the new fees. For most adults, the difference is modest:
- 10-year adult passport: up from $160 to $163.50
- 5-year adult passport: up from $120 to $122.50
- 5-year child passport: up from $57 to $58.50
The government says the adjustment reflects inflation and the rising cost of producing secure travel documents. Under the Service Fees Act, passport fees will now be updated annually going forward, so this won’t just be a one-time bump.
The free passport guarantee
This is the part worth paying attention to. Starting April 1, 2026, if your complete passport application isn’t processed within 30 business days, you’ll get a full refund automatically. There aren’t any forms to fill out or calls to make. If the government misses the window, the money comes back to you without you having to do anything.
As MTL Blog covered last year, the federal government first floated this guarantee back in March 2025 as part of a broader push to improve service delivery and avoid a repeat of the 2022 passport crisis. At the time, the policy lacked a concrete start date, but that’s no longer the case.
It’s worth noting that mailing time — for both your application and the returned passport — doesn’t count toward the 30-business-day window.
What you’re paying for
As a refresher, here’s what passport services currently cost before the March 31 increase, along with expedited options:
- 5-year adult passport: $120
- 10-year adult passport: $160
- Expedited (10 business days): add $20
- 48-hour service: add $50
- Same-day or next-day service: add $110
Those processing fee add-ons remain unchanged under the new announcement.
If you want to get ahead of the fee increase, applications received before March 31 will still be processed at the current rates.
