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Caution!! Shipping Passports to Canada from US via UPS.

pryda31

Full Member
Sep 18, 2017
34
21
Hey everyone!!

Just wanted to put this information out there might help others.

TL;DR: Do not add value to your passport in the customs declaration form.


UPDATE: Passports delivered to CPC today. A day late but hopefully everything is in there. Will update as i get an update in my profile.


Got PPR, due to some visa clashes i wanted to have my passport to and back from CPC as soon as possible. Got express shipping both ways from UPS.

Filled out the customs form as well (thank you fellow members) to make sure there is no hold up. Keep tracking and the passport gets to Canada and saw an error "We must contact the receiver for import requirements to clear the package, but the receiver's phone # is invalid."

Call UPS and ask what is the hold up. They need a phone number for CPC-ottawa. I asked the forum but the best we have is the call center. That is what I give them but no one responded when they called. I explain to them that it is a government agency and will not give out phone number. They said they would work on their end.

Next update 15 mins later : "Import Scan, your package is being processed at the clearance agency. / Delivery will be rescheduled."

Next update 1 hour later (12 Noon) : "Your package is being processed at the clearance agency."

It has been there since. Called UPS this evening. Got a very helpful agent. She explains that there is a rule with Canadian customs, that if a package has value over $20 then it needs a broker in Canada who would be importing anything. That is what caused the whole hold up since the super smart me put the value of passport as $500 assuming that I have to get it made again :D. Don't be dumb like me !!!

Hope this is helpful and saves some people a lot of aggravation. If you have any questions please let me know.
 
Last edited:

dopehead

Star Member
Jan 28, 2017
69
15
Hey everyone!!

Just wanted to put this information out there might help others.

TL;DR: Do not add value to your passport in the customs declaration form.

Got PPR, due to some visa clashes i wanted to have my passport to and back from CPC as soon as possible. Got express shipping both ways from UPS.

Filled out the customs form as well (thank you fellow members) to make sure there is no hold up. Keep tracking and the passport gets to Canada and saw an error "We must contact the receiver for import requirements to clear the package, but the receiver's phone # is invalid."

Call UPS and ask what is the hold up. They need a phone number for CPC-ottawa. I asked the forum but the best we have is the call center. That is what I give them but no one responded when they called. I explain to them that it is a government agency and will not give out phone number. They said they would work on their end.

Next update 15 mins later : "Import Scan, your package is being processed at the clearance agency. / Delivery will be rescheduled."

Next update 1 hour later (12 Noon) : "Your package is being processed at the clearance agency."

It has been there since. Called UPS this evening. Got a very helpful agent. She explains that there is a rule with Canadian customs, that if a package has value over $20 then it needs a broker in Canada who would be importing anything. That is what caused the whole hold up since the super smart me put the value of passport as $500 assuming that I have to get it made again :D. Don't be dumb like me !!!

Hope this is helpful and saves some people a lot of aggravation. If you have any questions please let me know.
I guess the value of $500 is what caused the issue. I used FedEx and I wasn't allowed to put a 0$ value on it so I put in $1. Got tha passports safely.

How did you end up getting everything sorted out?
 

pryda31

Full Member
Sep 18, 2017
34
21
I guess the value of $500 is what caused the issue. I used FedEx and I wasn't allowed to put a 0$ value on it so I put in $1. Got tha passports safely.

How did you end up getting everything sorted out?
yes that is what got me in trouble, but its not sorted out yet. The current status is that they are working on it. If it doesn't workout by EOD tomorrow. I am probably going to ask them to just ship it back to me and I will have it shipped out right away with just value as $1 like you!
 

C@N@D@

Newbie
Oct 2, 2017
5
0
I am about to send my family's and my passport from the US. My query is that is it the regular UPS express and I just print the shipping and the return labels online or anything different?
 

wolfman2017

Star Member
May 5, 2017
156
50
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
2147
App. Filed.......
27-07-2015
AOR Received.
28-07-2015
Passport Req..
27-08-2015
VISA ISSUED...
22-09-2015
I am about to send my family's and my passport from the US. My query is that is it the regular UPS express and I just print the shipping and the return labels online or anything different?
Also include customs declaration/ commercial invoices
 

mgnlky

Champion Member
Jan 22, 2016
1,558
277
Vancouver
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
1122
Pre-Assessed..
Yes
App. Filed.......
22-12-2016
AOR Received.
22-12-2016
Med's Done....
04-11-2016
Passport Req..
22-3-2017
LANDED..........
04-09-2017
UPS is not the issue here. The issue is the value you added for the passports. Passports are paper documents & basically have no value. If you put $1 as the value (because 0$ is not allowed), you will have no issues.
 

pryda31

Full Member
Sep 18, 2017
34
21
I am about to send my family's and my passport from the US. My query is that is it the regular UPS express and I just print the shipping and the return labels online or anything different?
Yes regular UPS express service will work. However, you will need to have a UPS account in order to be able to generate a international returns label. Everything is free but you will have to do that additional step of creating an account and adding a credit card to that account.

This can also be done at a UPS store. However, since UPS stores are franchises, they donot want to get involved with International returns and will ask you to do it online.
 

jatinj

Newbie
Oct 11, 2017
8
0
AOR: 13-SEP-2017
PPR: 10-OCT-2017
COPR Received: N/A
Landed: N/A

I got the email for ready for Visa (PPR) 10-Oct-2017 and asked to submit the passport.

1) I have India Passport but currently I am residing in USA on Work Permit. Email says to submit the passport to CPC-Ottawa along with 2 photos and return label. But I am not sure, If I should post it across the borders. As passport last page, says no to post the passport out of any country. Not able to understand as to what should be done in this case.

2) I got the photographs clicked for e-APR submission in September. Can I use the same photo, but with the specifications mentioned at : http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/pdf/5445EB-e.pdf . It's not been more than 1.5 months that I got them clicked. I can use the same photo with the new dimensions mentioned or need to click a new photograph again.

Any help is appreciated.
 

pryda31

Full Member
Sep 18, 2017
34
21
AOR: 13-SEP-2017
PPR: 10-OCT-2017
COPR Received: N/A
Landed: N/A

I got the email for ready for Visa (PPR) 10-Oct-2017 and asked to submit the passport.

1) I have India Passport but currently I am residing in USA on Work Permit. Email says to submit the passport to CPC-Ottawa along with 2 photos and return label. But I am not sure, If I should post it across the borders. As passport last page, says no to post the passport out of any country. Not able to understand as to what should be done in this case.

2) I got the photographs clicked for e-APR submission in September. Can I use the same photo, but with the specifications mentioned at : http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/pdf/5445EB-e.pdf . It's not been more than 1.5 months that I got them clicked. I can use the same photo with the new dimensions mentioned or need to click a new photograph again.

Any help is appreciated.

I know I was under the same Dilemma. Normally you are not supposed to send your passports outside the country. You could email CPC-Ottawa on the email address provided in the PPR request email. See what happens maybe they will ask you to submit the passport to a local canadian embassy.

I would recommend just getting the photographs clicked again. I wouldn't want my COPR to be delayed because they had to request another photograph.
 

jatinj

Newbie
Oct 11, 2017
8
0
I have emailed to CPC-Ottawa, but I got acknowledgement saying that it may take 20 processing days.
 

pryda31

Full Member
Sep 18, 2017
34
21
I have emailed to CPC-Ottawa, but I got acknowledgement saying that it may take 20 processing days.
So if I understand correctly you emailed CIC about not sending the passports to CPC- ottawa and they said that it could be done but the processing time would be 20 days? If that is the case where are you sending your passports?

Please update since this could be helpful for a lot of people in the future.
 

jatinj

Newbie
Oct 11, 2017
8
0
I got the below response when I submitted email to CPC-Ottawa:

"This is an automatic response to acknowledge the receipt of your email.
Due to a high volume of inquiries we are only able to respond to case-specific inquiries and the service standard is 20 working days."

And in parallel, I have 30 days to submit the passport. I hope they answer asap.
 

pryda31

Full Member
Sep 18, 2017
34
21
I got the below response when I submitted email to CPC-Ottawa:

"This is an automatic response to acknowledge the receipt of your email.
Due to a high volume of inquiries we are only able to respond to case-specific inquiries and the service standard is 20 working days."

And in parallel, I have 30 days to submit the passport. I hope they answer asap.
Ok that makes sense now. Thanks for the update. Please update when you hear back from CIC. It could potentially be helpful for a quite a few people.