Fee Waiver for Travel and ID Documents

Summary#

Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2023 Türkiye and Syria Earthquakes) Remission Order — SI/2025-118 is a federal order published December 17, 2025 that waives certain fees for identity and travel documents for some Canadians and permanent residents who were in areas of Türkiye or Syria affected by the earthquakes of February 6, 2023. The waiver covers fees paid or payable for specific passport, citizenship and travel-document services for people who had to travel urgently and applied for those documents during the covered period.

What it does#

• Grants remission (a waiver) of fees paid or payable for issuance of certain identity and travel documents, when the person meets the conditions below.
• The order covers fees listed in:
  • Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations — paragraph 7(c) and items 9, 10 and 14 of the schedule.
  • Citizenship Regulations — item 6 of the schedule.
  • Consular Services Fees Regulations — section 4.
  • Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations — section 315.
• “Document” in the order means:
  • a passport,
  • a certificate of citizenship,
  • a travel document issued to a permanent resident under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, or
  • an emergency travel document.
• The remission applies only if both conditions are met:
  • At some time between March 29, 2023 and January 3, 2024, the person (as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident) was in an area of Türkiye or Syria affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquakes and needed to travel urgently because of the earthquakes.
  • During that same period, the person or someone acting for them submitted an application for the document.
• The order was made under the Financial Administration Act.

Who's affected#

• People most likely to be affected are Canadian citizens and permanent residents who were in earthquake-affected areas of Türkiye or Syria and who, because of the earthquakes, needed to travel urgently and applied for one of the listed documents between March 29, 2023 and January 3, 2024.
• It applies to fees tied to passports, citizenship certificates, permanent-resident travel documents, and emergency travel documents as specified above.
• The order does not clearly say how people will claim the remission or how refunds (if any) will be handled. If you think you qualify, you would likely need to contact the department that handled your application (for example, passport or citizenship services or consular services) for next steps.

Why it matters#

• It removes a financial barrier for people who were displaced or needed urgent travel because of the 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. That can make it easier to return to Canada or replace essential documents after a disaster.
• The relief is limited in time and by specific conditions, so not everyone affected by the earthquakes will qualify.
• The order gives a clear list of which fees and documents are covered, but the public-facing details about how to get the remission or refunds are not given in the order itself.