helraiser

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/articles/20101025i.aspx?lang=eng

<exerpt>

In order to continue improving the Canadian passport, the Government of Canada will move to the next generation of travel documents by adopting the electronic passport, or ePassport. Implementing the ePassport will allow Canada to keep pace with international norms in the field of travel document security. This new passport will be more resistant to tampering and will make illicit travel, such as travelling under a false identity, much more difficult. At the same time, Passport Canada will start offering Canadian adults the choice of a 10-year validity period as well as the current 5-year validity period.

The passport application process will not change with the adoption of the ePassport. However, implementing this improved passport means that Passport Canada will have to make some changes to its services and associated fees. These changes will take effect when the ePassport is rolled out, starting in 2012.

=== continued @ url above ===

Finally, no renewing every 5 years. Will be nice for us nexus peeps too! I wonder how much the fees will go up by for the 10yr applicants as the govt'd obviously be losing some revenue.

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/consultations/a....aspx?lang=eng

lcohen999

Let them add this as well as ABTC for Canadians and life will be good!

tomh009

Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers?

jarusoba

Meh, my passports run out of pages before the 5 years are up anyways.

Riccioli

What a waste of money. These digital passports are the international standard now... we really don't have a choice. Why spend all this money discussing it? The same for the 10 year option. People like it? Duh!!!! And after all that it won't be available until 2012.

Guy Betsy

Malaysia actually had the first biometric passport in the world in 1993 when it was nary a mention anywhere else. And now only Canada is talking about it ?

miramshan

Wonder if they will start letting us get a 2nd passport. I welcome the 10 year passport, but having a 2nd passport would be extremely useful as well.

WestonC

I hear you - I have had to go to the double size passport for my last two. Even my last passport of 48 pages only lasted 4 years as it filled up to quickly.

Having 2 passports is great! One can be in getting visa's whilst I use the alternate. Yes, 1 is Canadian and the other is a euro one.

yyzvoyageur

APEC Business Travel Card.

tomh009

I've got a 48-page one now. Although it's not filling up as fast as the last one -- with Nexus there are very few US entry stamps now.

tomh009

That's supposed to be happening within the next 12 months, is it not?

jarusoba

Yes, I have 3 passports. But I still prefer to use the Canadian one, unless I'm going to a country where the Canadian passport requires a visa or the visa costs more.

The thickness of a 24-page passport is not that much thinner than the 48-page passport, but the price difference is only $5. I wonder why they can't make a 96-page version...

lcohen999

Hey word in there... "supposed"

CheapOFlyer

It's about supply and demand. Even the 48 pager is well under 1% of total passports issued - although they are popular in Hong Kong. Raw materials not all that much more expensive than the 24 pager but consider the costs of managing multiple inventory, print runs, systems, etc. when most Canadians will never fill a 24 pager even with the move to a 10 year validity.

Maybe a 96 pager could be co-branded with FT?

yyzvoyageur

Last I heard was some time in 2011, though I haven't heard much about the implementation since 2008.