Renewing Cdn passport WHILE residing in the USA

[MissStacey 1]

"Must have been issued within the last six years (or after August 1, 2003 if the passport was applied for by mail from the United States);"

Ok- just to confirm- I should be ok to do the simple process, mine expires August 2009 and it was applied for and received in Canada.

[Marilyn. 340]

"Must have been issued within the last six years (or after August 1, 2003 if the passport was applied for by mail from the United States);"

Ok- just to confirm- I should be ok to do the simple process, mine expires August 2009 and it was applied for and received in Canada.

dang I just missed the 6 year cut-off

[MissStacey 1]

"Must have been issued within the last six years (or after August 1, 2003 if the passport was applied for by mail from the United States);"

Ok- just to confirm- I should be ok to do the simple process, mine expires August 2009 and it was applied for and received in Canada.

dang I just missed the 6 year cut-off

That sucks.

Not a huge difference aside from the fact you need a Guarantor. They can even be relatives now- and it doesn't have to be from the list of professions like it used to be, just someone who has known you for 2 years.

[Marilyn. 340]

"Must have been issued within the last six years (or after August 1, 2003 if the passport was applied for by mail from the United States);"

Ok- just to confirm- I should be ok to do the simple process, mine expires August 2009 and it was applied for and received in Canada.

dang I just missed the 6 year cut-off

That sucks.

Not a huge difference aside from the fact you need a Guarantor. They can even be relatives now- and it doesn't have to be from the list of professions like it used to be, just someone who has known you for 2 years.

and I think it has to be someone who has a Canadian passport....

[OBX 51]

This is from Passport Canada:

Simplified Passport Renewal Process

The Simplified Passport Renewal Process allows Canadians to renew their passports without resubmitting proof of Canadian citizenship or supplementary identification and guarantor information. Some conditions apply.

Canadians who meet the following eligibility criteria are now able to benefit from this process:

At the time they applied for their previous passport, they must have been at least 16 years of age.

Their most recent passport:

Must have been valid for five years;

Must have been issued in Canada (as indicated under "Issuing Authority" on page 2 of the submitted passport);

Must have been issued within the last six years (or after August 1, 2003 if the passport was applied for by mail from the United States);

Must not be damaged and must never have been reported as lost or stolen; and

Must have been issued under their current name.

Eligible guarantors

Your guarantor must:

Hold a five-year Canadian passport that is valid* or has been expired for no more than one year, on the day you submit your application;

Have known you personally for at least two (2) years.

In the case of a child, have known you (parent or legal guardian) personally for at least two (2) years and have knowledge of the child;

Be a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older;

Have been 16 years of age or older when he or she applied for his or her own passport;

Provide the requested information contained in his or her passport;

Be accessible to Passport Canada for verification;

Reside in Canada, in the United States or in any of the areas where submission of the "in Canada and in the USA" application form is authorized, e.g.: Bermuda. It is not necessary that the guarantor reside in the same country as the applicant.

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/cdn/ren.aspx?lang=eng&region=USA

Despite the restrictions it does make things easier for most.

Edited December 20, 2008 by OBX

[antda 13]

Hi MissStacey and Everyone,

Yes, it's good that the "1 Guarrantor" (if one is needed for the general application process) can be relatives that you've known for more than 2 years (as long as they fit the "professional" category, if this rule still applies). So if you have a relative who can be a "guarrantor", you may be in luck there...

However, "2 References" (whcih are different from Guarrantors), as stated on both the general application form and the simplified application form, "cannot be relatives". In other words, you have find two other non-relative individuals to use as "references", which if you know a lot of non-relative individuals, you may be in luck there too...

Lol..gee brings us to a total of "3 other individuals" that you have to search, hunt down, look for, ask, beg, plead, bargain with, etc. for their name, personal information, contact information, and signature...just to renew/re-apply for a Canadian passport! You would think that this seems like a "job application process" rather than just a "passport application process". Lol...if it takes this many individuals to apply for a Canadian passport, how many individuals does it take for one to apply for a job at Passport Canada (just kidding there).

Lol...I can just see it now at one's next social gathering: "Happy Holidays! Oh by the way, instead of giving me a holiday gift this year, can you sign my passport application form, so that I can travel to see you?" (pathetic...and I hope none of you have to come to this desperate point...)

Seriously though, they should just get rid of this Guarrantor and Reference thing....Frankly, the Canadian government (or any other government) has enough information on an individual (through SSNs, SINs, DMV records, MTO records, tax records, health records, passport records, immigration records, etc.) on their "government databases", they why not use that information instead to prove one's "identity" and to use as "references"? It's their job to "prove" who we say we are, not ours, especially more so that we are paying them (sometimes outrageous prices) to do the job!

Anyways, good luck to Everyone, renewing their Canadian passport (you'll definitely need the luck there), and good luck to Everyone on the rest of your immigration journey too.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Ant (Looking for Santa Claus, instead of Guarrantors and References...)

Not a huge difference aside from the fact you need a Guarantor. They can even be relatives now- and it doesn't have to be from the list of professions like it used to be, just someone who has known you for 2 years.

Edited December 20, 2008 by AntandD

[Reba 2]

The professional categories guarantor rules no longer apply Ant, a guarantor can be any passport holding Canadian citizen.

[antda 13]

Hi Reba and Everyone,

Oh ok, good to know that they got rid of the "professional guarrantor" rules (I wasn't sure if this rule still applied, hence I typed "if this rule still applies"), which is one small step in the right direction.

However, they still haven't gotten rid of the fact that one still needs to have an extra "guarrantor" (that one has to be "friends" with for 2 years of more and has to be a Canadian citizen) for a passport application, so definitely changes still need to be made there...

Ant

The professional categories guarantor rules no longer apply Ant, a guarantor can be any passport holding Canadian citizen.

Edited December 20, 2008 by AntandD

[OBX 51]

Hi Reba and Everyone,

Oh ok, good to know that they got rid of the "professional guarrantor" rules (I wasn't sure if this rule still applied, hence I typed "if this rule still applies"), which is one small step in the right direction.

However, they still haven't gotten rid of the fact that one still needs to have an extra "guarrantor" (that one has to be "friends" with for 2 years of more and has to be a Canadian citizen) for a passport application, so definitely changes still need to be made there...

Ant

The professional categories guarantor rules no longer apply Ant, a guarantor can be any passport holding Canadian citizen.

With regard to the references - the last 2 times I renewed my passport I simply used friends / neighbours. I don't think you really need to worry about that portion. All that is required is their contact information and how long they have known you. In fact when I renewed my passport this fall to reflect my married name I used my son's girlfriend and a neighbour. No one was ever contacted to verify my info. These references do not have to supply their passport info just the one guarantor does.

[Marilyn. 340]

I always find it odd how relatively simple it is for US citizens to get passports .. they just fill out a form, go to the post office get their picture taken and voila, a few weeks later they have their passport which is good for 10 years

[antda 13]

Hi Marilyn and Everyone,

I agree with your there, as to how much easier the US passport application process is, in comparison to the Canadian passport application process. You would think that two countries that are so close together and have a lot in common with each other, would have the same methods when it comes to this issue. I guess not then....

Yes, Passport Canada can learn a thing or two from the Americans here (and from other countries who have similar methods) when it comes to passport applications! Why can't Canadians just pay the money, and get a passport good for 10 years, without worrying about guarrantors, references, names, and all this other "simple" conditional application ####### they throw at its applicants...

Lol....Imagine if we all went to the DMV, SSA, or any other government agency, and they had the same restrictions as Passport Canada has in order to renew your identification documents. Boy, there would sure be backlog, a lot of complaints, and nothing would ever get accomplished on time!

On that note, thanks for the extra motivation and extra reminder, as to how much easier it is to get an American passport. I'll definitely be getting one of those, as soon as I'm eligible to get such next year or the year after. Oh how good it will be to not have to worry about passports for the next 10 years afterwards, when I get that done! That's deifinitely one of the advantages of being an American Citizen: Applying for and getting an American passport (the quick, simple, and cost-effective way)!

By the way, in order to get an American passport, one must send in their original (no photocopies) Certificate of Naturalization. So make sure you make extra copies of that before you send it in (and hopefully they send the original back to you too). Oh and no worries about guarrantors either, as they don't do that here. And as for references, only one is needed, and yes, family members can be references too. Lol..two less people I have to bother...I think others would be happy too...

Ant (Waiting to for an American Passport...)

I always find it odd how relatively simple it is for US citizens to get passports .. they just fill out a form, go to the post office get their picture taken and voila, a few weeks later they have their passport which is good for 10 years

Edited December 20, 2008 by AntandD

[Jasman0717 8]

Wow, it took us two trips and about 7 hours to get Claudeth's Filipino passport renewed.

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

One of the stipulations for completing the passport application (simplified or otherwise) is that you be a Canadian citizen. Okay, if you go through naturalization I understand that you must renounce your Canadian citizenship (altough Canada doesn't recognize it). So let's say you do that and get your American passport, does this mean you're lying to the US government by saying 'yes, I am a Canadian citizen' to that question and could it conceivably pose any problems?

Am I sweating the small stuff here?

Thanks in advance for any input.

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

Oops, I just found this statement on a immigration lawyer's website. I guess I've answered my own question but feel free to weigh in......

"....taking the U.S. oath of allegiance will not result in a loss of Canadian citizenship. A formal application must be filed and approved before renunciation will be effective. If no formal application is made, a Canadian citizen who subsequently naturalizes in the United States will continue to be a citizen of Canada."

[Flames9_RN 358]

Sweating the small stuff,lol