Traveling (little) man - last update

It seems funny that Mason needs a passport to leave the Country considering he's still a baby.  I started this process way back in September and just finished today!  To get a Canadian Passport you will need three things:

  1. The Birth Certificate for baby (which you should already have!) If you haven't gotten your bc yet, click here for the link to the form.
  2. Two (2) pictures done by a Photographer that is qualified to do passport fotos (I chose London Drugs but you can also get them done at Shoppers Drug Mart or most places that does film processing).
  3. The completed forms.  The forms are broken down into four categories; In Canada over 16/under 16 and living outside Canada over 16/under 16.

Some helpful tips for getting a passport quickly without issues

Process:

  • Getting the picture! Prices range from $10.00+ and it's a bit difficult to have a small child sit on the little seat still for the CSR to take the picture. 
  • If you want to avoid lineups, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are generally quieter at most Passport Canada offices while Monday and Friday tend to be busy (I went on a Tuesday and my complete time frame was 30 mins from parking to back to the car!
  • There are two (2) passport offices in the Lower Mainland.  Downtown Vancouver and Surrey.  The Vancouver office was easy to find (on West Hastings and there is street parking within a block)  Best to pay by cell for parking as it sends a reminder txt to your cell when parking is about to expire.  If you are stuck in a lineup, you don't want to have to leave and lose your place!  You can call 604-909-7275 to set up an account that is attached to your credit card.  When you program the # into your phone, it will remember your account and only ask for the five (5) digit # that is on the parking meter.  Go through the steps on the p hone and within one minute, you've paid for parking! No change!  To check your time left or add more minutes, simply hit the speed dial and it will let you do both!   Easy peasy!

Forms:

  • You will require baby's birth certificate for this process.  If you choose to mail your application in, you will need to mail the certificate in with it and they return it to you.  I did not want to do this, so I chose to go in person and they just view the certificate
  • While you will sign your signature (for baby) on the passport application, do not sign the signature block above the photograph on the actual passport of a child under 11.  It must be left blank and should not be signed by either parent.  If it is signed, a new passport is required to avoid any delays going through the border
  • If the child is not traveling with both parents, they recommend a consent letter for all children who are not traveling with both parents. You may obtain a sample consent letter on the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada website
    For adult passports, you are not allowed to smile in the picture, good luck getting a frowny face on your kid (if he's anything like mine!) and Passport Canada will allow smiles on the babies.  Here is the catch, the picture needs to be near perfect.  Can't be too blurry, washed out and must not be any shadows behind the baby in the picture (they are up against a white background).  If your picture is less than perfect, the agent will tell you.  Passport Canada will call you within one (1) week to let you know if the picture has not been accepted.  Unfortunately you will have to get the picture redone and deliver it back to their office.  The good news is you don't have to redo the paperwork!

I will come back and update the post with the actual amount of time the Passport process has taken from start to finish!  Here is a summary:

  1. Start date: December 15th, 2009 
  2. Print and fill out forms 20 mins (to gather documents, read through and sign)
  3. Drive to passport office 30 mins for me
  4. Park, walk to downtown office, go to first floor to do the passport review (it's a bit of a maze, the two offices are located on different sides of the building!) and then go to the 2nd floor to submit the application.  Wait was less than 10 minutes.  You are assigned a 'ticket #' when you are at the 1st office but don't be fooled, they do not go in any number sequence and some people who arrive later than you may end up going first.  30 mins
  5. Received a copy of my Passport Official Receipt which has an assigned Application # on it V000000.  The receipt states that the passport mail-out date is Thursday, Dec 31st 2009
  6. I received Mason's passport on December 24th, 2009!  That is only seven (7) business days!  This was not a 'rush application.
  7. I received my passport on December 31st, 2009.  That is only eleven (11) business days.
  8. Now to decide where we are going on holiday in Feb 2010!!!

 

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