Canadians will be able to renew their passports online starting this fall.
The Government of Canada adds that Canadians will also be able to pay their fees and upload their photo online in a safe and convenient way.
The government says the new passport unveiled on Wednesday has been redesigned from cover to cover, with cutting-edge security features and new artwork.
It has security features designed to preserve the identity of Canadians, such as a polycarbonate information page, a technology similar to that of Canadian driver’s licenses.
Passport holders’ personal information will now be laser engraved instead of printed in ink. This will make the information page more durable and harder to tamper with and counterfeit.
People applying for a new passport, including children, will need to continue to follow the traditional application process with Service Canada.
These announcements were made by Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
Ms Gould explained that the digital option is the result of lessons learned last year when the department was overwhelmed with passport applications, leading to long queues and even longer waiting times for people who wanted to get their documents.
She said the vast majority of applications received by the government are for new passports, but she expects an increase in passport renewals over the next year as the first 10-year passports issued in 2013 will expire.