For Canadians, a valid Canadian passport is the most reliable and accepted travel document. It proves that you’re a Canadian citizen and have the right to enter Canada.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) – in partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) – issues travel documents, including passports, to Canadians. The Department also issues travel documents to permanent residents who are unable to obtain a national passport and protected persons.
Approximately 70% of all Canadians hold a valid passport and there are over 26.9 million passports in circulation.
Government of Canada
In 2022-2023 period, a total of 3.3 million canadian passports were issued, according to government statistics.
| 2023 | Applications received | Passports issued |
|---|---|---|
| April | 213,061 | 214,396 |
| May | 373,435 | 358,018 |
| June | 366,612 | 380,987 |
| July | 364,030 | 339,752 |
| August | 406,287 | 382,891 |
| September | 388,725 | 346,202 |
Under the Royal Prerogative, there are two Orders in Council that constrain the activities of the Program:
- The Canadian Passport Order defines who is entitled to a regular (blue) passport, how it is issued, and when a passport can be refused, cancelled or revoked.
- The Diplomatic & Special Passports Order defines who is entitled to a diplomatic (red) or special (green) passport.
The Minister of PS is responsible for cancelling, refusing to issue, or revoking passports in cases of terrorism or national security threats.
IRCC is accountable for the overall Passport Program, but the Department works closely with key partners ESDC, Public Safety (PS), and GAC to deliver services to Canadians.
- IRCC is responsible for overall policy setting, program management, processing diplomatic and special passports, issuing travel documents for protected persons and permanent residents, and for decisions on any complex/special cases.
- ESDC is responsible for delivering regular passport services in Canada, including application intake and processing.
- GAC is responsible for delivering passports and other travel document services to Canadians living or travelling abroad.
- The Minister of PS is responsible for cancelling, refusing to issue, or revoking passports in cases of terrorism or national security threats.
The Canada passport program, is funded from the revenues generated through the fees paid for passports and other travel documents and deposited into the Passport Revolving Fund. The Program operates on a 10-year business cycle, meaning its costs and revenues must balance out over 10 years. The Passport Program undertakes regular forecasting on future passport demand which determines revenues, costs, and project and related investments. A business plan is submitted to the Treasury Board every three years to outline the Program’s projections and plans over the medium-term.
