Online passport application being phased out

Passport Canada will stop accepting online applications at the end of April.

Passport On-Line was launched in 2005 with great fanfare, and a promise to reduce wait times by allowing Canadians to pre-process their application.

But the agency said this month the online service won't be available after April 30.

The move follows complaints from Canada's privacy commissioner about sloppy security at the agency, and an embarrassing online security breach more than a year ago.

But Passport Canada says the online service is being wound up because it's not as "convenient" for Canadians as using downloadable forms that must be taken in person to a passport office.

As of June 1, most Canadians travelling by land or water to U.S. destinations must carry a passport.