Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2023 Nova Scotia Floods) Remission Order: SI/2025-114
Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 159, Number 26
Registration
SI/2025-114 December 17, 2025
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ACT
P.C. 2025-896 December 5, 2025
Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, considering that it is in the public interest to do so, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, makes the annexed Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2023 Nova Scotia Floods) Remission Order under subsection 23(2.1)footnote a of the Financial Administration Act footnote b.
Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2023 Nova Scotia Floods) Remission Order
Definition of document
1 In this Order, document means any of the following:
- (a) a passport, as defined in section 2 of the Canadian Passport Order;
- (b) a certificate of citizenship, as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Citizenship Act;
- (c) a permanent resident card referred to in subsection 53(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations;
- (d) a certificate of identity;
- (e) a refugee travel document issued under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, dated July 28, 1951, and the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, dated January 31, 1967.
Remission
2 Remission is granted to any person who meets the conditions set out in section 3 of the fees paid or payable set out in any of the following provisions, in respect of the replacement of a document:
- (a) items 3 to 8, 14 and 15 of the schedule to the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations;
- (b) item 6 of the schedule to the Citizenship Regulations;
- (c) subsection 308(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations;
- (d) section 4 of the Consular Services Fees Regulations.
Conditions
3 Remission is granted on condition that
- (a) at any time during the period beginning on July 22, 2023 and ending on November 30, 2023, the person was in, or had their residence in, an area in Canada affected by flooding events originating in Nova Scotia;
- (b) the document was — while it was valid — lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible as a result of the floods;
- (c) during that period, the person, or a person acting on their behalf, made an application to replace the document;
- (d) the application included a declaration made by the person, or a person acting on their behalf, stating that the document was lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible as a result of the floods and
- (i) proof that, at the time that the document was lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible, the person had their residence in an area referred to in paragraph (a), or
- (ii) a declaration made by the person, or a person acting on their behalf, stating that, at that time, the person was in that area; and
- (e) the fees in question have not been remitted under section 11 of the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the orders.)
Proposal
The Governor in Council, considering that it is in the public interest to do so, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to subsection 23(2.1) of the Financial Administration Act, has made the Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2023 Nova Scotia Floods) Remission Order, the Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2023 Canada Wildfires) Remission Order and the Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2025 Canada Wildfires) Remission Order.
Objective
The objective of these remission orders is to remit fees for the issuance of identity and travel documents that were waived for Canadians and permanent residents affected by
- the Nova Scotia floods from July 22 to November 30, 2023;
- the 2023 Canada wildfires from May 6 to November 30, 2023; and
- the 2025 Canada wildfires from April 1 to November 30, 2025.
Background
As part of the Government of Canada’s response to these natural disasters, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration announced special measures to support individuals affected by the 2023 Nova Scotia floods, the 2023 Canada wildfire season and the 2025 Canada wildfire season. As part of these special measures, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) did not collect fees from Canadian citizens and permanent residents associated with the replacement of passports or other travel documents, citizenship certificates and permanent resident cards that were lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible by the floods or fires, including administrative fees. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also waived Consular Services Fees payable on all Canadian regular adult travel documents. These measures were determined to be in the public interest, given that the costs associated with obtaining these documents would have imposed an additional burden on affected individuals and potentially limited their ability to access services to keep them and their families safe during the crises.
The Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations set out the fees payable for requests for Canadian passports. No fees were payable for replacement passports issued with the same expiry date as the original documents. However, associated fees, including express or urgent service fees and the Consular Services Fee, were payable.
The above-mentioned fees were not collected for Canadian citizens and permanent residents directly affected by the floods in Nova Scotia between July 22, 2023, and November 30, 2023.
As well, the above-mentioned fees were not collected for Canadian citizens and permanent residents directly affected by wildfires for the periods beginning on the dates that the wildfires began in each province and ending on November 30, 2023. The dates the wildfires began are based on reporting by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre: May 6, 2023, for Alberta; May 11, 2023, for British Columbia; May 29, 2023, for New Brunswick; May 28, 2023, for Nova Scotia; May 26, 2023, for Ontario; and June 1, 2023, for Quebec.
In 2025, the special measures for Canadian citizens and permanent residents directly affected by wildfires were put in place on July 2, 2025, with the measures retroactive to April 1, 2025, to cover the entirety of the wildfire season. As such, fees that were collected from eligible applicants between April 1 and July 1, 2025, are to be reimbursed if requested. Fees that were not collected between July 2, 2025, and November 30, 2025, will be remitted.
The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs do not have the legal authority to remit fees for Canadians and permanent residents in emergency or crisis situations, and the fees were still required to be paid under the relevant regulations. An Order in Council is needed to allow for the remission of these fees.
Implications
Nova Scotia floods
The remission of fees incurred because of the Nova Scotia floods has resulted in foregone revenues to the Government of Canada, as these fees have not and will not be collected. The total foregone revenues resulting from the remission of fees associated with the replacement of passports or other travel documents, citizenship certificates and permanent resident cards is up to $245, and up to $450 for Consular Services, for a total of up to $695. Although no cases were identified where a client paid a fee that should have been eligible for the special measures, the remission order still authorizes the issuance of a refund if such a client comes forward and meets the eligibility criteria.
| Fee waived / Service provided | Fee | Volume | Foregone revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport Expedited Services (Domestic) — Express pick-up | $50 | 1 | $50 |
| Passport Expedited Services (Domestic) — Standard pick-up | $20 | 3 | $60 |
| Passport Administrative Services (Domestic) — Replacing a valid lost or stolen passport or other travel document | $45 | 2 | $90 |
| Passport Administrative Services (Domestic) — File transfers | $45 | 1 | $45 |
| Consular Services Fee | $25 | 18 | $450 |
| TOTAL | N/A | N/A | $695 |
The Order also provides for the remission of fees for certificates of identity, refugee travel documents and proof of Citizenship, but to date, no requests for remission of these fees have been received. Given that the measures have expired, additional requests are not anticipated.
2023 Canada wildfire season
The remission of fees incurred because of the 2023 Canada wildfire season has resulted in foregone revenues to the Government of Canada, as these fees will not be collected. The total foregone revenues resulting from the remissions of fees associated with the replacement of passports or other travel documents, citizenship certificates, and permanent resident cards is $4,330, and $3,125 for Consular Services, for a total of $7,455. Although no cases were identified where a client paid a fee that should have been eligible for the special measures, the remission order still allows for the issuance of a refund if such a client comes forward and meets the eligibility criteria.
| Fee waived / Service provided | Fee | Volume | Foregone revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proof of Citizenship | $75 | 1 | $75 |
| Passport Expedited Services (Domestic) — Urgent pick-up | $110 | 9 | $990 |
| Passport Expedited Services (Domestic) — Express pick-up | $50 | 14 | $700 |
| Passport Expedited Services (Domestic) — Standard pick-up | $20 | 36 | $720 |
| Passport Administrative Services (Domestic) — Replacing a valid lost or stolen passport or other travel document | $45 | 41 | $1,845 |
| Consular Services Fee | $25 | 125 | $3,125 |
| TOTAL | N/A | N/A | $7,455 |
The Order also provides for the remission of fees for certificates of identity, refugee travel documents, passport administrative services, including file transfers, but to date, no requests for remission of these fees have been received. Given that the measures have expired, additional requests are not anticipated.
2025 Canada wildfire season
The remission of fees incurred because of the 2025 Canada wildfire season results in foregone revenues to the Government of Canada, as these fees will not be collected from eligible clients or will be reimbursed to eligible clients who have paid the fees and that submit a refund request. The total foregone revenues resulting from the remissions of fees associated with the replacement of passports or other travel documents, citizenship certificates, and permanent resident cards is up to $220, and up to $100 for Consular Services, for a total of up to $320.
| Fee waived /Service provided | Fee | Volume | Foregone revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport Expedited Services (Domestic) — Standard pick-up | $20 | 2 | $40 |
| Passport Administrative Services (Domestic) — Replacing a valid lost or stolen passport or other travel document | $45 | 4 | $180 |
| Consular Services Fee | $25 | 4 | $100 |
| TOTAL | N/A | N/A | $320 |
The Order also provides for the remission of fees for certificates of identity, refugee travel documents, proof of citizenship and passport administrative services, including file transfers, but to date, no requests for remission of these fees have been received.
Accountability implications
All remissions associated with the remission order will be reported in the annual Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and IRCC Fees Reports and in GAC and IRCC Public Accounts.
Contact
Bruce Scoffield
Director General
International Crisis Response Branch
International Affairs and Crisis Response Sector
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Email: Bruce.Scoffield@cic.gc.ca