Consular Services Fees (Performance Standards) Remission Order: SI/2026-2
Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 160, Number 3
Registration
SI/2026-2 February 11, 2026
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ACT
P.C. 2026-48 January 26, 2026
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 and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, makes the annexed Consular Services Fees (Performance Standards) Remission Order under subsection 23(2.1)footnote a of the Financial Administration Actfootnote b.
Consular Services Fees (Performance Standards) Remission Order
Remission and condition
1 Remission is granted of the fee paid or payable by a person under section 4 of the Consular Services Fees Regulations for a travel document if the person is entitled, under section 7 of the Services Fees Act, to a remission of 100% of the fees that were paid by them under the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations for the issuance of that travel document.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order.)
Proposal
Pursuant to subsection 23 (2.1) of the Financial Administration Act, this Remission Order will remit certain fees paid or payable by clients in relation to their travel document (e.g. passports) application when the processing of the application goes beyond 30 days.
Objective
The objective of the Remission Order is to facilitate the implementation of the Government of Canada’s decision to ensure that Canadians receive a 100% refund when the processing of a passport application goes beyond 30 business days. More specifically, the Remission Order will ensure that the Consular Services Fee (CSF) is also remitted to Canadians when they are entitled to a remission of their travel document (e.g. passport) application fees under the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations because the processing of the application has exceeded 30 days.
Providing timely and reliable services to Canadians is a priority for the Government of Canada. Remitting in full the application fees paid by clients, including the CSF, is in the public interest, as it reinforces the Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and efficiency in travel document service delivery.
Background
The Passport Program falls under the mandate of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which, with support from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Service Canada, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Public Safety Canada, oversees the delivery of passports and other travel documents to eligible persons.
Consular services include emergency evacuation and repatriation; assistance to Canadians in distress abroad; support in cases of arrest, detention, death or child abduction; providing local information as appropriate; and conducting prison visits.
The CSF was introduced in 1995 as an insurance-like $25 fee to cover the cost of providing consular services to Canadians who are abroad. It is separate from the funding that IRCC transfers to GAC from the Passport Revolving Fund for the passport services that GAC provides abroad. As described in section 2 of the Consular Services Fees Regulations (the CSF Regulations), the CSF is payable on adult travel document applications, which include passports issued pursuant to the Canadian Passport Order; certificates of identity; and refugee travel papers (document de voyage). The CSF is paid in addition to application fees established for travel documents per the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations. Although the CSF and travel document application fees are distinct and itemized separately on the payment receipt, an applicant may not distinguish between the two fees that are collected through their singular payment at the time that they make an application.
The expanded IRCC Passport Subordinate Remission Policy (also referred to as the “30 days or it’s free” Remission policy) implements the Government’s decision to ensure that Canadians receive a 100% refund when the processing of a passport application goes beyond 30 business days. This Remission Order will allow GAC to remit the CSF and thereby implement its part of the Government’s decision.
Implications
It is considered in the public interest to remit the CSF, as clients may not differentiate between the CSF and the travel document application fee, since both are bundled into a single payment. Applicants may therefore expect that any fee paid in connection with travel document services will be refunded when the published travel document service standards are not met. Withholding the $25 CSF may create confusion and appear unjust to applicants.
In this context, despite a reduction in revenues that fund the consular program, implementing a full remission policy including the CSF will demonstrate the Government’s responsiveness to public expectations and its strong commitment to transparency, accountability and efficiency in government travel document services.
Importantly, receiving a CSF refund will not have an impact on a citizen’s access to consular services. All Canadians are eligible to receive consular services, regardless of the timeliness of their passport application and/or any refund received.
Financial implications
The remission of the CSF in relation to the “30 days or it’s free” policy will result in foregone revenues for the Government of Canada. It is estimated that the remission of the CSF, as outlined above, will have an incremental cost to the Government of $3.43 million over five years from fiscal year 2026–2027 to fiscal year 2030–2031, and $0.24 million ongoing in foregone revenue. This estimate is based on volume projections calculated by IRCC in relation to its anticipated performance standard improvements as the digital transformation measures become better established over time. By 2029–2030, IRCC expects a 97% compliance rate for performance standards under its “digital-first” passport strategy.
Federal-provincial/territorial relations
There are no considerations related to federal-provincial/territorial relations that apply in this context.
Implementation
The Remission Order coincides and aligns with amendments to IRCC’s Passport Subordinate Remission Policy. These amendments introduced a single more transparent and meaningful remissions tier that provides for a full refund of the applicable travel document application fees if processing goes beyond 30 business days.
IRCC will automatically identify the applications meeting the conditions for remission and issue a one-time payment to applicants encompassing the travel document fees and the CSF. As this is a system-generated process, applicants will not need to take any action to receive a remission. Remissions will be processed in approximately two to three months in keeping with IRCC refund processing standards across all its services, but no later than July 1 of the following fiscal year (as per section 7 of the Service Fees Act). Refund payments for both the $25 CSF and the applicable Passport Program fees arising from missed service standards will be issued at the same time, either by cheque or directly to the client’s credit card, depending on the method of original payment, and based on the cost of issuance. The refund process is not automated and requires manual verification by IRCC and ESDC to confirm eligibility. This assessment can only occur after the passport has been issued. To reduce operational costs, refunds will be issued in monthly batches, helping minimize the financial burden that would otherwise be passed on to future clients in a cost-recovery model. Clients who do not receive their remission by July 1 of the following fiscal year are encouraged to contact the online Passport Help Centre on the Canada.ca website.
The Remission Order will come into force on April 1, 2026, in alignment with the implementation date set for the amended IRCC Passport Subordinate Remission Policy.
Consultation
No public consultations were undertaken in relation to the Remission Order. The remission is a relieving measure in alignment with the Government’s priority to put money back in the pockets of Canadians when services are not delivered in a timely manner and, therefore, public consultations were not deemed necessary.
Contact
Angus Munroe
Director
Consular Policy and Program Management Division
Global Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G2
Telephone: 343‑203‑2248
Email: angus.munroe@international.gc.ca