About Passport Canada

Passport Canada is a special operating agency of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada responsible for all matters related to Canadian passports. As mandated by the Canadian Passport Order, its responsibilities include issuing, refusing to issue, revoking, withholding, recovering and providing instructions on the use of Canadian passports.

Passport Canada has 34 passport-issuing offices across the country and partners with a network of 200 Service Canada and Canada Post passport receiving agents to offer Canadians broad access to passport services. It also works in partnership with Government of Canada offices abroad to provide travel document services to Canadians who travel or live outside of Canada.

As a cost-recovery agency, Passport Canada’s operations are financed entirely from the fees charged for passports and other travel documents. There is no annual parliamentary appropriation; the Canadian passport program is funded by applicants, not taxpayers.

The main document we issue is the 24-page regular (blue) passport, but we also issue seven other types of travel documents.

Our mission

To issue secure Canadian travel documents through authentication of identity and entitlement, facilitating travel and contributing to international and domestic security. In other words, we work to ensure that the Canadian passport is only issued to those who are entitled to one. This benefits all Canadians, not just travellers, as our work contributes to border security here in Canada, as well as internationally.

Our vision

Global service, global security and global standards in state-of-the-art identity authentication and travel documents for the benefit of Canada.

Our values

Excellence, respect and integrity.

Passport Canada and its employees uphold the public trust by adhering to the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment and the Passport Canada Code of Conduct.

If you have reason to believe that a public servant has not acted in accordance with the values outlined in the above documents, please email Values and Ethics at Passport Canada. A disclosure regarding the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector can also be made to the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.

Service standards

Our commitment to Canadians is delivering quality services at the highest global security standards. In 2010-2011, more than 99 percent of clients received their passport on time or earlier.