As you all probably know by now, US will require Canadians to present a passport to enter US whatever your means of transport is.
There are 2 ways of applying for a passport:
- Either by mailing an application to Passport Canada
- or visiting a Passport Canada office and applying in person
Chatting with some of the employees at the passport office I’ve found that it takes a significantly shorter time to go to a passport office and apply in person. When you apply in person your application is verified on the spot, you don’t have to mail out your birth certificate and you receive your new passport by courier within 2 weeks. If you mail out your passport application you’ll receive your new passport within 3 months.
Although the press claims that Passport offices are overwhelmed with people and you have to wait for hours and hours, it took me less than an hour at the Ottawa passport office to finish the whole thing! The secret is to go nice and early and have your application filled out and ready. Right now the Ottawa office caters to 1,000 walk-in applicants per day. In January, 2008 they are expecting this number to increase to 5,000.
There is also a new guarantor policy that makes finding a guarantor a piece of cake! Anyone including family members can now be a guarantor as long as they have a valid non-expired Canadian passport.
So here’s a summary of my tips:
- Don’t mail in your application, visit your nearest Passport office and apply in person.
- Go early in the morning.
- Don’t postpone applying for a passport until 2008.
- Get anyone you know with a non-expired Canadian passport to be your guarantor.
Hope that helps 
If anyone has any experience applying for a passport please share it with us.
Thanks for the tip!
The guarantor part was really a bitch. Our accountant and doctor refuse to do people flavors. Dentist destroy records of even having us as patients because we paid cash. Lawyers? They charge. When you pay an attorney to sign a guarantor, they question you like you are going to visit Osama. This new policy will be so much easier!
Make sure your writings are neat and tidy. Triple check for errors and bring all the supporting documents. My friend’s passport had an error in the birth date which day and month was reversed. It took her an additional 3-4 weeks to get it corrected.
I was very irritated by people who wouldn’t stop complaining about the long wait while they themselves take their own sweet time to pull out documents from multiple purses. Keep supporting documents with the application, one folder per person will make it go faster.
Shoppers Drug Mart does the best passport photos! It’s cheap, and you can get points for it.
Fridays are always busier. Try going mid-week if you can. Bring a book, magazine, iPod, PSP or Nintendo DS while you wait – makes time go faster.
There’s a new simplified application that does not require a guarantor — just the contact information of two people who agree to verify your identity. I haven’t heard about this new guarantor policy, but perhaps it’s for the full application, as they would not allow any family members (or significant others) to be any of my contacts when I renewed mine. There are a small number of requirements to use the new simplified application, so it’s best to check if you qualify.
I was at the Toronto downtown location back in mid-October, and I was there for less than an hour after arriving about 9:40AM; I’m a student and only work part-time, so I had the flexible hours to go. I got my passport a few days earlier than two weeks, by ExpressPost.
If you check the Canada Passport website itself, it says right there that the processing time for in-person applications is two weeks. The wait times seem to be updated weekly. Listening to the media is really not the best source of information
Oh yes, if you’re doing the full application, remember to bring proof of citizenship, ID, all that kind of documentation, etc. The simplified application didn’t ask for anything, if I recall correctly, but bring things just in case, so you don’t have to come back.
My husband did it this way a few years ago.. it took 6 days
I went to line up this summer to get my babies passport. We waited in line for 6 hours BUT we received the passport in the mail 10 days later.
The wait sucked but it was worth it. Now she can follow us wherever we go!
My tip is to show up in line at 3:30pm. Most offices close at 4:30pm so the most you will wait is 1 hour. If they send you home you didn’t wait that long and you can change your strategy for the next day. There were many people that did this in my line up… kinda sucked that they only waited a short time and I waited 6 hours!!
Good luck getting your passports everyone!
L
The best time saving tip…. fill out the application online, print it out and bring it with you. When the reception issues you a number for the queue, you’ll get one that allows you to jump to the front of the line. I think it started with a ‘D’, while the regular line had ‘A’ coupons. I remember being called up 5 minutes after being issued the ‘D’…. was in and out before they even called the next ‘A’
What is the cost of a person to secure a passport these days. I think someone told me once it was like $300.00
It cost me $87, plus $6 for photos at Costco.
I love the new guarantor policy. I just had a relative act as my guarantor. Costco does passport photos for less than 7 bucks. I completed my application online through the pdf fillable form. At the Surrey passport office, it’s best to pay by Visa. That’s the quickest line up.
1. Fill out passport application online
2. Print it out
3. Guarantor – you don’t need actual professionals. You can fill out a form with just people you know
4. Visit Passport Office, you’ll get an express ticket (cut in line)
5. Submit your form, photos, ID’s
6. 2 weeks later, you get passport in XpressPost
#1 is KEY, it can save you HOURS of waiting time
Question:
Can I print the application online and then fill the form by hand? Or do I have to fill the application online
Thanks in advance.
You can fill it by hand but to make it easier for yourself and the passport officer I strongly recommend you fill the application in Adobe Acrobat. It’s very easy.
Here are the forms you need to fill in
Adults (16 years of age or over):
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/forms/pdfs/pptc153.pdf
Children (under 16 years of age):
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/forms/pdfs/pptc155.pdf
Simplified Renewal Form:
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/forms/renewal.aspx?lang=e
And if you don’t have a printer at home, just pick up an application (and a few extras in case of mistakes) from the post office. Just read the instructions carefully.
Thanks for all your help.
We had to go back a few times, first time my husbands birth certificate was laminated by his parents 30 years ago and they wouldnt accept it, we had to get another one ($35), then because my daughter was born before we were married they needed the LONG form birth certificate (another $35). Just a money grab I think….
well hello fellow sally
lol
They create a lot of problems now for kids younger than 6. If the last name don’t match you got to get the long form birth certificate. They are also far stricter with the photographs for kids. If you have a kid under 6 and you are applying for her first passport…Best of luck!
3 months by mail? HA! That’s funny. It took 7 months to receive my 3-year old daughter’s passport.
Do you have any hints as to go about getting a new Canadian Passport if I’m down in the USA and my old passport expired 2 yrs ago?
I’m traveling in February, and needed my passport for a trip in November, so mailing it in for renewal was not an option.
I’m going to be driving up to Toronto from Atlanta, GA to go to the passport office. Any tips on where to go for pictures? Also, after submitting the application, will I be able to have the passport mailed to me at a US address? Or will I have to pay for the expedited process to get it the next day?
I appreciate any feedback!
I lined up on the 28th Of Nov 2007 in the morning, I was in and out in about 1 hour. I still have not received my passport though. I am leaving on the 3rd of Jan for the Bahamas. If my passport doesn’t come I don’t go. Any idea how I can speed up the process to guarentee my passport arrival?
Abby, use this form to request status of your application:
https://www.pptc.gc.ca/service/contact/stat.aspx?lang=eng
Just wanted to post that my friend went to do his Passport Renewal @ The Toronto Passport Canada Office today. Lineup was under 10 minutes. Although he did do the online Epass method to skip the line, he did say that there were only 30-40 people in there, so either he was lucky, or the crunch isn’t so bad anymore.
I used a plastic covered Birth certificate without any problem
i went to get my passport and because i am born in south africa they would not even accept my military id!! also they do NOT accept ANY family members as a guarantor at all!!!!!
im going on vacation in oct but mid july i need my passport to plan the trip is it to late
Funny that this came up – I went in to renew my Passport on Friday at the local office. Walked right in, one staffer checked that all the information was completed; gave me a number & that same number was called immediately. That was about 2 in the afternoon.
Mine was a renewal therefore I used the simplified application form and was told I’d be receiving my new passport within a couple of weeks.
I had my photos done at Sooter’s with cost $11.26 and it took all of about 15 minutes. Remember that Passport photos cannot exceed 12 months or they will not be accepted… don’t smile and don’t frown were the only 2 things I was asked “not” to do.
I only needed a guaranter the first time and my pharmacist signed for both me and my husband.
The passport cost was $86 and it is valid for 5 years. Fairly easy to do and they are very good at answering any questions you may have.
I need to apply for a canadian passport for my baby. Do I need to take my baby to the passport office? Or can I just go alone and submit the forms for my baby?
PK,
You do not need to take the child in with you. If you submit it, you need childs birth certificate,application,photos and valid ID for yourself like a license etc.
Mine was a renewal. The town I live in doesn’t have a passport office and I always mail in. Don’t need a guarantor for the new simplified version. Just need 2 people to verify your identity(exclude family members). I renewed mine before it expires and it takes only 2 weeks from the time I mailed in and the time I received it back by registered mail.
Here’s a question for all of you – hopefully you can answer: I am a newly wed and have changed my surname. I have a passport that is only 2 years old. In the past, you did not have to pay anything to change it, I’m told. Do I have to re-fill out everything, like it is a brand new passport, complete with new pictures? I would welcome the answers!
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/cdn/section1.aspx?lang=eng
check that out Momo – unfortunately you have to do the whole process over again including the fees
momo – i put a posting up just before this one but because it has a link it will take a while to see.
unfortunately you do have to reapply with the additional documentation of your marriage certificate AND pay the fees again – totally outrageous if you ask me but thats the government for ya!
okay so i do not need a guarenteer if i am filling out the full one?
My paerents passport expired years ago
does anyone know if you can still get a passport within 2 weeks?
my boyfriends coming home from overseas [with USAF] and im flying down from toronto to south carolina to see him but my passport expires in July so I can’t travel on this one. He’s coming home in March which is when I need the passport for
if anyone knows it would be greatly greatly appreciated!
-hollyy
You need to act right away. I got mine in less than a month through the mail. Go in person to an office if you are really in a hurry.
I went in person to Vancouver on Jan 13th and my passport was delivered to my house on Jan 20th, 1 week delivered!!!, saying that though my husband went on the 13th to Surrey and still hasn’t got his, though it has only been 10 days. The office was telling us they would be sent on the 27th, so 2 weeeks delivery.
I went to the Whitby office on a Friday around noon and was out in less that 1 hour. My passport was a renewal, but my husbands was new. The next Friday they came by Canada Post. I had my mom sign as our guarantor as she has a current passport. Also, we got our pictures done at Costco for $12 for both of ours and they were great. If you can’t go to Costco, try SDM, they are $10. WM is also $10, but my parents turned out terrible!
I went to the Mississauga office a few months ago with simplified applications i completed online for me and my family. There were only a few people there and tonnes of staff with nothing to do. Apparently they’ve increased staff to handle the upcoming US passport requirements.
The verification step was straightforward, but when I got to the other person they would only process my application because i don’t live with my other family members. I was told i needed authorization letters from each of them.
Apparently the rules changed about a year ago so you can no longer submit applications for people outside your household without a letter of authorization. This info is not printed anywhere on the application instructions. I sent an email to Passport Canada about this but got no reply.
In the end we all got our new passports in less than a week!
I’m a passport officer and half this stuff posted is useless! Here are some quick, important things that are often overlooked by people coming into the office.
1. When you apply in a regional office in person, the service standard is 10 business days PLUS MAILING TIME. Therefore, don’t be srprised if you don’t get it within 2 weeks. You may get it beore, you may get it after. For $10, you can guarantee it by picking it up at the regional office.
2. If you require it in ess than 10 BUSINESS DAYS, you need to submit the application IN PERSON with your PAID PROOF OF TRAVEL (ie ticket). The cost is an extra $30 for Express (2-9 business days) and $70 (for less than 2). This is NOT GUARANTEED as all Guarantor and reference checks along with ‘other checks’ need to clear beore the passport is released.
3. The cost of the Canadian Passport is $87 for an adult, $37 for a child, $22 for children 3 and under 4 – 16. IF your child is 11 or older, they must sign their appliation on page 1.
4. New Guarantor Policy – If you are not eligible for the Simplified Renewal and are therefore using the standard 3 pg form, the Guarantor no longer needs to be a professional i.e. doctor or lawyer. THey must be a valid Canadian Passport Holder in good standing, provide ALL the requested ppt info on the form (ppt number, name, date of issu, etc) THey must sign your form and the back of one photo and know you for at least 2 years. They ARE ALLOWED TO BE FAMILY. Even immediate family. So, your spouse can sign for you, your mom can sign for you. They also must have been an adult at the time of their application (no a child cannot sign your passport as a guarantor, they would have to be 16 when they got their passport)
5. Birth certificates – the old ones are laminated and we accept those. THe new ones aren’t. So if you look at the back and it says, VOID IF LAMINATED and it is LAMINATED, then you will need to order a new one. http://www.serviceontario.ca (for those born in Ontario) If you are in a common law relationship, you will require a LONGFORM BIRTH CERT or (STATEMENT OF LIVE BIRTH) – same website. IF your child was born before your marriage, the same thing is legally required. If you are divorced, you must bring in the FINAL DIVORCE ORDER or JUDGEMENT in addition to any seperation agreements or other court orders. IF you are just seperated, you still must bring all your legal docs/seperation agreements etc.
5.Online application to get a fast number. You must create an EPASS and fill your info online, print it off and make sure there is a barcode on the top right hand corner of your application, in order to get a priority #. You can only do this for adult applications.
6. Best times to come are in the morning and avoid Fridays and Mondays.
7. SIMPLIFIED RENEWAL – no guarantor needed, 2 photos, your prev passport which is either still valid or not expired for more than 1 year from the date of submission, and the 2 pg form completely filled out. You had to be an adult (16+) at the time you got the prev passport, and there can be no changes to the biodata pg of the passport in order to do it. FOr example, if you are changing your name, then you CANNOT do a simplified renewal. EVERYTHING MUST BE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE LAST PASSPORT. (SURNAME, GIVEN NAME)
GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS. EVERYTHING IS THERE FOR YOU!
(Some modifications as I was typing too fast!)
I’m a passport officer and half this stuff posted is useless! Here are some quick, important things that are often overlooked by people coming into the office.
1. When you apply in a regional office in person, the service standard is 10 business days PLUS MAILING TIME. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you don’t get it within 2 weeks. You may get it beore, you may get it after. For $10, you can guarantee it by picking it up at the regional office on the 10th business day.
2. If you require it in less than 10 BUSINESS DAYS, you need to submit the application IN PERSON with your PAID PROOF OF TRAVEL (ie ticket). The cost is an extra $30 for Express (2-9 business days) and $70 (for less than 2). This is NOT GUARANTEED as all Guarantor and reference checks along with ‘other checks’ need to clear beore the passport is released.
3. The cost of the Canadian Passport is $87 for an adult, $37 for a child 4 -16 years old, $22 for children 3 and under. IF your child is 11 or older, they must sign their appliation on page 1.
4. New Guarantor Policy – If you are not eligible for the Simplified Renewal and are therefore using the standard 3 pg form, the Guarantor no longer needs to be a professional i.e. doctor or lawyer. THey must be a valid Canadian Passport Holder in good standing, provide ALL the requested ppt info on the form (ppt number, name, date of issue, etc) THey must sign your form and the back of one photo and know you for at least 2 years. They ARE ALLOWED TO BE FAMILY. Even immediate family. So, your spouse can sign for you, your mom can sign for you. They also must have been an adult at the time of their application (no a child cannot sign your passport as a guarantor, they would have to be 16 when they got their passport) Another trick, parents can be the guarantor for their childrens applications, just don’t guarantor yourself. FOr example, for childrens application, either Mom or Dad is the APPLICANT (not the child). So mom can be the applicant parent, also signs pg 2, and then dad would be the guarantor – ‘guaranteeing her not the child’.
5. Birth certificates – the old ones are laminated and we accept those. THe new ones aren’t. So if you look at the back and it says, VOID IF LAMINATED and it is LAMINATED, then you will need to order a new one. http://www.serviceontario.ca (for those born in Ontario) If you are applying for children under 16 and are in a common law relationship, you will require a LONGFORM BIRTH CERT or (STATEMENT OF LIVE BIRTH) – same website. This i required to confirm parentage. IF your child was born before your marriage, the same thing is legally required. If you are divorced, you must bring in the FINAL DIVORCE ORDER or JUDGEMENT in addition to any seperation agreements or other court orders. IF you are just seperated, you still must bring all your legal docs/seperation agreements etc.
5.Online application to get a fast number when appling regionally. You must create an EPASS and fill your info online, print it off and make sure there is a barcode on the top right hand corner of your application, in order to get a priority #. You can only do this for adult applications.
6. Best times to come are in the morning and avoid Fridays and Mondays.
7. SIMPLIFIED RENEWAL – no guarantor needed, 2 photos, your prev passport which is either still valid or not expired for more than 1 year from the date of submission, and the 2 pg form completely filled out. You had to be an adult (16+) at the time you got the prev passport, and there can be no changes to the biodata pg of the passport in order to do it. FOr example, if you are changing your name, then you CANNOT do a simplified renewal. EVERYTHING MUST BE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE LAST PASSPORT. (SURNAME, GIVEN NAME)
GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS. EVERYTHING IS THERE FOR YOU!
One more thing – changing to your new married name.
1. We do not require the marriage cert.
2. We need secondary ID in your new married name (ie. drivers license), so you must change your id first.
3. you must brung the current valid ppt if applicable for it to be cancelled.
4. You will have to fill out a whole new 3 pg application and pay another $87 – so you need a guarantor etc.
5. You still need your birth certificate/proof of citizenship
If you aren’t travelling, then I would avoid it to save your $. If you are, then it is a good idea to switch it if you already have ID in your married name because if you get stuck at a border crossing with IDs that don’t match, then you could be in some hot water…
I am applying for a passport for my 12 year old son, i was going to go in person, just wondering if he has to come with me.
This is a question for “don’t worry”.
I have an unfortunate situation whereby my husband signed us up for a trip to Cuba as a present for my 40th birthday. Last night I checked for my passport – it has disappeared. We overturned the whole apartment. Last time I saw it I was returning from Toronto and I showed it to the check-in girls. I suspect it fell from my purse within the last three weeks while I was paying for something.
To make matters worse, my birth certificate is also missing. I don’t have time to get the new one though I ordered it over the internet – we were supposed to leave on Thursday.
So my question is: is it possible to get a ‘temporary’ passport with just the receipt for the application for birth certificate? I have read other boards where someone was able to do this.
Thank you for any experience/advice you can offer.
Stephanie
Real difficult situation/
I share custody of 2 children (1 mine other no blood relation) with My eldest daughter And a family friend.
To start:
Getting the birth certificates.
I applied for both certificates at the same time and had not trouble getting the one certificate for the child i am father of.
The other certificate, i was asked to provide the Court Order for Custody.
So i do that and get the 2nd certificate awhile later.
Off to the passport office I go.
Turns out that as I was not named on the Birth of the one certificate I was issued a short form certificate.
The passport office would not accept the short form.
So I straighten that out and back I go to the passport office.
Now as it turns out the applications for the children are no good because the passport office requires that all 3 parties of the custody order that share joint custody must fill out applications as well.
Nice No problem getting my daughter to fill out one for each but the friend died in an accident a couple years back.
So now the passport office requires either the death certificate or I have to go to family court to change the custody order.
Getting into court will not be possible in time for departure.
getting the death certificate well i tried that and was told that as i was only a friend i have no standing to get one.
Nevermind the arguments about the custody order tried all of that.
So basically i have 1 child that i cannot get a Passport for.
It would have been nice to have been told all of this when there was time to do something about it 4 months ago when i started this process. Now i have tickets to china paid for. And have to leave a child behind? that is not going to happen.
Thinking of getting a Black market passport for my child with all correct info…
Not really but seriously there should be some mechanism in place to handle cases that are odd like this.
Only alternative left to me is to ask the mother to make the application. And since she has absolutely no legal rights to her own children that may not work out to well.
I would have to make a new application and not mention anything about a custody order.
That is really bizarre A woman who has had her custodial rights removed by a court can get the passport easily. Where as the person with legal custody can’t.
There is something that is just not right with that.
Went to the passport office and spent an hour waiting. No problem. A couple of questions though. If we are citizens why do we have to pay for a passport, why do our passports expire (this was not the case in the past)? Nobody asks questions like this, again we are being nickeled and dimed to death by Harper/Cretien whoever. I should not have to do this, it’s ridiculous especially since I am native born. I had a perfectly good passport, what is the purpose of expiration?
Hey folks,
My passport was recently stolen and I’m told I must have a lawyer on notary republic to sign a sheet that I must submit together with my application… does anyone know a cheap one downtown to use? Thanks!!
Hi all, I have a few questions and was hoping you guys could help. I’m American My husband is canadian. I’m in the process of getting my citizenship but I do not have it yet. I have a daughter she’s 8 months old, she was born here in Canada.She’s a canadian citizen. Being as though I’m not a Canadian citizen yet, can i apply for her Passport Or shud I have my hubby dot it?
To memyselfandi: I looked at my old passports (back to 1986) and they all had expiry dates. They’re good for 5 years. I don’t recall ever having one without an expiry.