Important Notices

Privacy Notice

The Government of Canada and Passport Canada are committed to providing visitors with websites that respect their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices on Passport Canada websites.

• Passport Canada websites do not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or email address. We would only obtain this type of information if you supply it by sending us an email or registering in a secure portion of the site.
• All personal information held or collected by this department is protected under the federal Privacy Act . This means that at any point of collection you will be asked for consent to collect your information, and you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
• Passport Canada employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.
• Passport Canada occasionally uses "cookies" to track how our visitors use this site or to determine sites previously visited. The cookies we use do not allow us to identify individuals. They are compiled into statistical information on traffic patterns and are used to assess site efficiency. The system will notify you before any cookies are used so that you may refuse them, and the refusal of cookies will not affect the site performance or restrict your ability to access information from this site. (A "cookie" is a file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a website to allow it to monitor your use of the site.)
• Information on individual visitors is used by Passport Canada employees who need to know the information in order to respond to your request or to ensure the security of this system. We only share the information you give us with another government department if your inquiry relates to that department. We do not use the information to create individually identifiable profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the federal government.
• Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act in Passport Canada may be directed to the Privacy Coordinator via the Access to Information and Privacy Protection home page of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade or by calling 613-992-1425 or writing to:
  
  
  The Director
  Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division
  Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
  Lester B. Pearson Building
  125 Sussex Drive
  Ottawa, ON, Canada
  K1A 0G2
  
  If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canadaor by calling 1-800-267-0441.

PKI Notice

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a framework of policies, services, and encryption software that provides the assurances users need before they can confidently transmit sensitive information over the Internet and other networks.

Official Languages Notice

Passport Canada respects the Official Languages Act and the relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring all information and services on this site is available in both English and French (or in one language only if a unilingual office). However, visitors should be aware that some information from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act is only provided as a convenience and is available only in the language in which it was provided.

Hyperlinking Notice

Links to websites not under the control of the Government of Canada are provided solely for the convenience of visitors. The government is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The government does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Visitors should also be aware that information offered by non-Government of Canada sites to which the Passport Canada links is not subject to the Privacy Act, the Official Languages Act and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question and visitors should research the privacy policies of the sites before providing personal information.

Trade-marks / Copyright / Permission to reproduce

The front page of the Canadian passport booklet and the bio page of the Canadian passport (even empty) are all official marks registered under the Trade-marks Act.

Passport Canada's trademarks, the name "Passport Canada", the passport page designs, and graphics of Passport Canada website may not be used, in whole or in part, in connection with a business; any product or service in any manner that is likely to lead to the belief that the service or the posting in association with which it is used have received government approval, endorsement or authority; and may not be copied, imitated, or used, in whole or in part, without prior written permission of Passport Canada.

Non-commercial Reproduction

Information on this site, other than government symbols, has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Passport Canada. We ask only that:

• Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
• The Passport Canada be identified as the source department; and
• The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made, in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Passport Canada.

Reproduction of Government Symbols

The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the "Canada" wordmark, the Arms of Canada, and the flag symbol may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without written authorization. Request for authorization from the Treasury Board Secretariat may be addressed to:

information@fip-pcim.gc.ca
Federal Identity Program
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1A 0R5

Telephone: 613-957-2533
Facsimile: 613-946-5187

Commercial Reproduction

Reproduction of multiple copies of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Through the permission-granting process, PWGSC helps to ensure that individuals / organizations wishing to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, please go to PWGSC's "Applying for Copyright Clearance on Government of Canada Works" page or write:

copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1A 0S5

Web security

Passport Canada is taking the measures necessary to protect the confidentiality of the personal information you provide and to ensure that your electronic transactions with us are secure.

How we protect your information (EPass)

There are two ways that ensure the security of your transactions: by encryption and firewalls.

The first security layer begins with your web browser. When you access the Passport On-line form via epass Canada, the server checks your browser to ensure it meets strict security requirements. You may only use browsers that employ 128-bit encryption (one of the highest levels of browser security available today). A secure connection is then established between your computer and our service.

Encryption electronically scrambles the data stream between your computer and our server. This minimizes the risk that Internet hackers and other users will alter or view information being transmitted. You must be using a browser with 128-bit encryption in order to access this site. A padlock or key icon at the bottom of your browser indicates that a secure connection has been established. For interactive transactions, we may supplement this industry standard measure with additional security measures.

Firewalls are a combination of hardware and software designed to securely separate the outside world from our internal computer systems and database.

How you can protect your information from unauthorized access

To protect against unauthorized access to your secure session, the system is designed to automatically log the session off after 18 minutes of inactivity.

Passport Canada recommends that all users exit the Passport On-line form and epass Canada applications using the "Logoff" link.

Users can also shut down their browser to log out of these applications. If the user leaves these applications in any other manner, the epass Canada session will remain active. Anyone using this computer subsequently could then obtain the previous user's name, address and telephone information until the timed logout (after 18 minutes).

Passport Canada suggests that all users clear their browser cache once a transaction has been completed. Information stored in the browser cache is not encrypted, and therefore could be compromised by others if the browser cache is not cleared.