Passports

[slick]

Just heard on the radio that because of WHTI everyone is scrambling to get their passport renewed. It's been reported that hundreds of people have been lining up outside the Passport office since the wee hours of the morning hoping to get in today. Employees have been working overtime which is no surprise but the thing that got me was that it can take up to 4 months to get the new passport......whether or not the application was mailed in or taken in.

My passport expires in January, 08 and I'm wondering if I should get in lineup now. :eek:

....and won't we have to go through all of this again 5 years from now when everyone's passport expires???

I'm in agreement with the new security measures but I just don't get why our government isn't doing anything to help the situation...it's not like we didn't know this was coming. :rolleyes:

OK, off to get ready for work and ponder my travel plans.

[Randi]

Good Grief!! Slick, you may as well come over here.... go to the Canadian Embassy and get a new passport in a weeks time. ;)

One year, John had forgot to renew his passport, so we got worried, but he went to the British Embassy and got it 3 days later. :)

It nomally takes 2-3 weeks to get a new one here - in holiday season.

[elizabethann]

My neice almost didn't get her passport in time to go to Canada. She had to go to Boston to pick it up a day before her flight left. And she applied back in February!

[Catty1]

SLICK - you can do TONS of this online, and there is a separate line for those who come in all net-prepared, etc. It is MUCH shorter than the other line!

http://www.pptc.gc.ca/can/pol_on-line_form.aspx?lang=e

[Blue_Frog]

I just had to get my canadian passport on short notice -- what I had to do is

1. went to a passport office that had a dropoff and pickup
2. waited the 3 hrs at the time
3. paid the extra 10$ on top of the fee for pickup service at that location
4. provided proof that i had to fly out to the US in 3 weeks, so they made sure it was ready in 2 weeks
....
5. came back and picked it up in the 2 weeks in time to fly.

Now, my timing was bad since it was close to march break. We just went recently to renew my BFs passport, and went to the same location, and were in and out in about 20 mins including the confirmation of his application, etc.

:)

If you're just renewing your passport, you can bring it to a certified agent location at a Canada Post office, and do the mail thing -- just be prepared to wait a long time (up to like 4 months). They will rush it for you if you have to fly though :)

[Husky_mom]

so much time!!....... here you go one day and they give it to you THAT very same day a few hours later....... unless you go late then they give it the next day.......

[Freedom]

Slick - or anyone - what is WHTI?

[slick]

http://cbsa.gc.ca/agency/whti-ivho/menu-e.html

Go here to find out more about WHTI. It's a US law that affects travellers.

Thank you everyone for the info. I didn't know you could apply online. But I thought you needed to submit your old passport in order to get the new one??? I'll have to do some more research.

[kittycats_delight]

I am in Italy and recently had to renew mine. I got it done in 1 week. I had the pics done, the application filled out, sent it off to the canadian embassy here in Rome. They received it next day. They shipped it overnight to ottawa. In 3 days it was sent back to them on an overnight and the next day it was sent to me. In total it took me 7 days from the time I sent it to the time I received it. Why is it so damned difficult and time consuming within Canada? :confused:

[Blue_Frog]

I am in Italy and recently had to renew mine. I got it done in 1 week. I had the pics done, the application filled out, sent it off to the canadian embassy here in Rome. They received it next day. They shipped it overnight to ottawa. In 3 days it was sent back to them on an overnight and the next day it was sent to me. In total it took me 7 days from the time I sent it to the time I received it. Why is it so damned difficult and time consuming within Canada? :confused:
It might be because you had the backing of the embassy to get it more quickly -- things like having the embassy or your member of parliment to back up the application process can significantly speed things up :)