As summer approaches, Canadians are becoming more interested in traveling again – but with reported delays in acquiring or renewing a passport, unlikely to end soon, understanding the process is key.
Currently, if you visit the page on the government’s website related to passports, a notice at the top of the page reveals that they “are experiencing a very high volume of calls at the moment.”
“The waiting time is longer than usual,” the warning said. “If you have no plans to travel in the next 2 weeks, we suggest you wait for us to call.”
Some of the delays are due to increased interest in travel compared to the last two years of the pandemic. Between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, Service Canada issued about 363,000 passports, but from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the agency issued 1,273,000 passports, according to a spokesman.
One family, who began renewing their passports in February, told CTV News they had not received the latter until April, just days before the passport-required trip.
So how is a passport renewed or acquired in Canada and how are these processes currently affected?
RENEWAL OF PASSPORT
QUALIFICATION
Only adult passports can be renewed, according to the Canadian government’s website. Those under the age of 16 will have to apply for a new child’s passport instead of renewing it.
Adult passports can only be renewed if they have been issued in the last 15 years and have the same gender, name, date of birth and place of birth as you would like in your new passport. Otherwise, an adult must apply for a new passport.
If you are still not sure if you are eligible for renewal, the government has a test that you can take to their website to make sure you are eligible.
WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR APPLICATION
All renewal applicants must complete an application form (which can be found online), take passport photos and find two non-family references who have known you for at least two years. They also cannot be a spouse or civil partner, or anyone related to a spouse or partner, and must be over 18 years of age and agree to use their name and contact information in your application.
The photographer taking the passport photos must write his / her name, full address and the date on which the photos were taken on the back of one of the photos.
You must also submit your old passport with the application, except in cases where it has been lost or stolen.
This is a new development – before last month, if your passport was stolen, lost or expired more than a year ago, you will have to apply for a new passport. Part of this is due to the fact that the renewal application requires the date of issue of your passport, as well as the expiration date and passport number, which many would not know without their old passport at hand. But in late March, the government announced that if your passport was stolen, lost, damaged or expired in the last 15 years, you will now be able to apply for a renewal, which is much easier than applying for a new passport.
“As international travel resumes, we must continue to modernize and improve our passport services to ensure that we meet the needs of Canadians,” Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement at the time.
To renew or apply for a passport costs $ 120 or $ 160, depending on whether you are applying for a five- or ten-year passport.
For those who need a passport quickly, there are additional fees associated with obtaining a passport in less than 10 days. If you are required to provide proof of travel, this may include a plane ticket, a travel itinerary with proof of payment, or proof of death or illness in the family that requires immediate travel.
“Depending on the reason for your trip, you may need to show additional evidence that your situation is urgent,” the website said.
APPLYING FOR A NEW PASSPORT
QUALIFICATION
To qualify for a new passport, you must be a Canadian citizen and be over the age of 16 to apply for an adult passport. Children under the age of 16 can obtain a child’s passport, which is valid for a maximum of five years and cannot be renewed.
Always check first that you are eligible to renew your adult passport, as this is a simpler process than applying for a brand new one.
WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR APPLICATION
There are many more requirements for a new passport than for renewal.
The first thing all applicants need is to fill out a passport application form, which can be found online.
Then you will need proof of Canadian citizenship. Most importantly, you must present original documents, not photocopies or photos that will be returned to you after verification. Things that are considered evidence include a birth certificate if you were born in Canada, a Canadian citizenship certificate, a naturalization certificate, a foreign birth registration certificate, or a Canadian citizenship certificate.
It is also possible to have province- or territory-specific documents that can be accepted as proof of citizenship. The proof of citizenship may contain your new or old name if you are looking for a passport with a new name.
In addition to proof of citizenship, you must also provide at least one document proving your identity (more is needed if you change your name). Documents that are counted include driver’s licenses, health cards, military licenses and passports, among others. They must include your name, date of birth, photo and signature, and if you do not have an identity with all of these, you can send more than one identity document to fill the gap, as long as they have a common element to connect them.
The passport application also needs two identical passport photos taken according to the correct photo requirements. A detailed list of what makes a passport photo acceptable can be found on the government’s website, but many companies offer passport photography to reduce the risk of improperly formatted photos.
As with renewal, you need two references, but you also need one guarantor. This person can be anyone, including a family member or a member of your household, as long as they meet other requirements.
The guarantor must have known you for at least two years, be available for contact, be a Canadian citizen over the age of 18, have his or her own Canadian passport for 5 or 10 years, and be willing to provide his or her own passport information.
Your guarantor must sign your application, one of your passport photos and all copies of all supporting identity documents.
Depending on why you are applying for a new passport – for example, if you want to miss your place of birth, change your name or update your gender marker – you may need to provide other documents related to these issues, along with the basic requirements. Details of these additional documents can be found on the government’s website.
WHERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION FOR A NEW PASSPORT OR RENEWAL
The process itself depends on whether you are applying for a passport from Canada or the United States or from abroad elsewhere. If you are outside of Canada, you may be able to apply by mail, but otherwise you should ask at the nearest Canadian government office in the region where you are located.
There are several different ways to process an application in Canada, and staff recommend different strategies depending on how quickly you need a passport. For long-distance travel longer than 26 business days or more, you can apply by mail either by booking an appointment online at the Service Canada Center, or by simply logging in if Service Canada is not very busy.
However, Service Canada will not help you if you need a passport acquired or renewed urgently. For those who need a passport within the next two business days, you must apply in person to a passport office – and while some Service Canada locations are consolidated to include a dedicated passport office, many passport offices are separate. An online tool can help you find a passport office near your location.
If you are applying for a new passport urgently, you must provide proof that you require it, within two working days or less.
In case you need a passport within 3-25 days, the staff recommends that you make an appointment at one of the 35 specialized places for passport service. You must have proof of travel or need and you can find a list of all these specialized passport sites in each province on the government website.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO TRY TO APPLY NOW
It already sounds like a lot of work, but according to reported delays, it is currently particularly difficult to obtain or renew a passport.
Some say they are waiting in long lines at the passport office to try to apply or renew – something you can avoid by applying early enough. If you apply at least 26 business days in advance, you can visit the Service Canada Center instead of a dedicated passport site.
But if possible, you should try to apply earlier than this to minimize the risk of delays affecting your plans.
According to Service Canada, the standard time for processing ordinary passport applications submitted in Canada is 10 working days when submitted in person at the passport office and 20 working days when submitted by mail or in person at the Service Canada Center without includes sending time.
As of April 18, Canada for Employment and Social Development says the average processing time is five and 25 days, respectively.
If you submitted an application more than 20 working days ago and have not yet received a response, there is a tool to check the status of your application.
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