Also, people phoning in just to get an update... do this if you need an update but don't spend hours of your life on the phone on hold just to be told it is in progress and there may be delays. If you genuinely need it urgently then call, but all of those calls detract from the passport office capacity to process and operate at their optimum... each unnecessary call becomes a bottleneck for people genuinely in need.
Canadian Passport - Mail-In Application Timelines
- Thread starter zam7
- Start date
@CaBeaver should have received his passport weeks ago based on standard 25 business day timelines provided for mailing applications. Transparency is required. Someone who is travelling in 3 months can apply for passport using mailing option due to given timelines but they may not even have the passport after 3 months. The problem is that there is no set processing times and the timelines given are not reliable. It's more or less a lottery now. If you are lucky you may get your documents within 2 weeks and if you are not they may take months and they may even loose your certificate (this has happened a few times).
When dealing with an organization like this, I cannot blame someone if they are hesitant to spend thousands of dollars on genuine hotel and flight booking (regular long haul flights are expensive even in economy and the cheapest economy option often does not allow cancellation). I don't think there is anything wrong with booking a 100% refundable ticket to get service you need as long as you genuinely need a passport to make concrete travel plans.
That being said, if someone really needs a passport they will be able to get it even on same day by presenting a proof or urgency and paying extra fees (which is even higher on weekends and holidays).
Last edited:
What is the root cause of that situation? Obviously it is not the applicants. It is incompetency of Passport Office: there is no transparency of the process, no acknowledgement of receipt, no update if anything went wrong, no update when the passport printed and dispatched. NOTHING!!!
Passport Office sets the standard processing time at 20 business days. It means that they have set expectation for 20 business days. So, after 20 business days, it is obvious that people starts worrying then they likely want to know what is happening. If Passport Office do not know that logic to prepare their system accordingly, they are incompetent
Having said that, do not blame on applicants. Again, the root cause is at Passport Office
I had to call again as they didn’t send all the citizenship certificates even after requesting.
They are saying it can take up to 2-3 more weeks to get the passport and no idea if they will send the remaining certificate of my family as Canadians are rushing to get passports for their travel and they are overwhelmed. I had no words.
They are saying it can take up to 2-3 more weeks to get the passport and no idea if they will send the remaining certificate of my family as Canadians are rushing to get passports for their travel and they are overwhelmed. I had no words.
Extra fees that’s where I disagree. They mothball the applications for weeks and months without appreciating the honesty of the applicants abided by their instructions by not booking travel and giving enough time to get the processed in 20-25 business days. Even though they all can very well book flight tickets to get their passport in a day.
Why one has to pay extra fees when they are not going with their standard processing days posted ? It’s not you coming out of nowhere and asking them to process the application in a day as your applications became urgent as they were mothballing them for months.
You are correct. My last lines were for people who don't apply until they need their passport and the point was that any of us getting express or urgent service does not really interfere with urgent applications from people who only apply for a passport when they need it in next few days. If they need it, they will get it.
In my case, I tried the online status update, was told in process. Later, after not receiving passport, phoned and was told I was missing guarantor signature on back of drivers license copy. They stated they didn’t know why I wasn’t contacted to ask for it. So if you don’t call, you might sit there with no progress at all.
Guarantor's signature on the copy of the applicant's driver's license is required??
Yes, if you apply via in-mail. For in-person, you don't have to as the office will verify it against the original
Update this morning. My MP office was able to contact the passport office and my passport will be printed today and mailed in one to four business days. I am told I should receive the password at the latest the Tuesday following Easter weekend. The MP office also said to contact let them know if I don’t receive it.
I sent a copy of my drivers license for proof of identity. My guarantor signed the front but I didn’t ask him to sign the back. So yes, the said it had to be signed.
If driver’s license is what is used for proof of ID both front and back must be signed by guarantor.
Did the passport office call him and he/she missed the call trying to call back?
Sorry iam not clear
yes. this is my biggest worry.. if you don't call them you may potentially not know what is wrong with the application or documentation.. Out here on this forum I have hears stories of people following up through Phone call and being told they are missing so and so documentation. Had they not called I wonder how and when passport office would have connected with the applicant. I haven't heard a single one here saying "they got a call from Passport office about some documentation missing".. so the reason for calling them is not to spend hours in line on phone but to validate all is well with documentation. it is scary to think an important office like Passport is being run so inefficiently (I do get the staffing shortage and sudden rush of applications) but I am sure they have people at the top top to take decisions on how to hands this workload...
is the problem only with Gatineu office only?
iam not hearing much complains from Missisauga or Halifax offices