If you’ve ever heard stories about the application process for a child’s passport, you know how difficult it can be. That’s why I jumped out of my seat when I saw that an appointment was available nearby the next day to submit my daughter’s passport application. I drove to the Service Canada office in Duncan, British Columbia, only to have my daughter’s application rejected because I did not realize that her mother also needed to sign the application.
There are lots of areas where a busy parent could possibly make a simple mistake on the applications. That’s why I now present you with the following tips to ensure you don’t need to visit the passport office more than once.
01 Determine when you will need your child’s passport
For each of your child’s passport applications, you will need to apply for a new passport rather than a renewal. While this sounds like a mere technicality, it makes a difference in processing time. My wife and I both applied to renew our passports, and at the same time, I applied for a new passport for my 10-year-old daughter. Our renewed passports arrived roughly three weeks after we applied. Our daughter’s passport did not arrive until two months after we applied.
For a standard application, Service Canada indicates that a passport application should be processed within 25 business days. It’s likely due to the busy time of year when we applied, but again, over 50 days had passed since the application and delivery of our child’s passport.
An expedited application likely makes the most sense if your kid will need to travel outside of Canada within three months. Depending on the office, Service Canada can provide next-day or 10-day service.
02 Print the application from Adobe Reader, not your web browser
When I downloaded the application for my daughter’s passport, it automatically loaded the application into Google Chrome. Printing straight from your web browser is an issue for the following reasons:
- The PDF that you download includes buttons that do not function properly in Google Chrome.
- If you print the form via Chrome’s PDF reader, these buttons appear in the printout.
- Chrome’s PDF reader cuts off the amount of information you can include in a given form box.
Viewing, printing, or completing the information in Adobe Reader will ensure that the form complies with passport application requirements and a form printed by Service Canada itself.
03 Read all of the instructions thoroughly
Yes, this sounds painfully obvious, and as busy parents, we often default to cutting to the chase. And if you’re a recovering perfectionist, you frequently tell yourself that you just need to be good enough. Your child’s Canadian Passport application is the correct time and place to let your inner perfectionist emerge. To ensure the acceptance of your application, you must follow every instruction. Go slowly and take care of each step.
04 Applying via mail vs. applying in person
Applying for your child’s Canadian Passport in person is more likely to ensure that your application is approved. The workers in your local Service Canada office have seen thousands of applications. They can catch your mistakes and ensure you are not missing any signatures, dates, or other important details.
If you can wait up to three months to receive your child’s passport, any permanent Service Canada office will be able to help facilitate your application, and your passport will arrive via Canada Post. Service Canada ideally will process all non-expedited applications within 20 business days, but this is not always possible. If they cannot do so, they will refund some, if not all, of the passport fees, depending on the lateness.
If you need your passport within fewer than 20 days of application, you must apply at an office that provides the speed level you need. All Canadian population centres with more than 100,000 people have a passport office that can provide you with expedited services, including urgent pickup. This enables you to pick up your child’s passport by the end of the next business day.
Applying via mail makes sense if you are living outside of Canada or if it’s more inconvenient to travel to a passport office than to have your passport application rejected via mail and then need to apply again. If I lived in a small town in Alberta, which is over 3 hours away from the nearest Passport Office, I would apply via mail.
05 You and your co-parent should apply in person together, if possible
I wasted a couple of hours and gas money because I didn’t realize that my partner/co-parent also needed to sign the application. If she had come with me to apply, she could have signed the form then and there, and the trip would not have been a waste.
At the very least, this is a solid reminder to complete that VERY important step beforehand if you can't find a way to go together.
06 YOUR FORM NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED IN ALL CAPS
Despite the instructions at the top of the form to do so, I often start entering all of the required info on my computer with mixed cases. So, while this is a plain instruction mentioned at the top of the passport form, I suspect you may gloss over it, as did I.
07 Make an appointment to guarantee an application review
While you can walk into a Service Canada office to apply for your passport, sometimes they are so busy that they must turn away passport applicants who arrive within business hours. An appointment guarantees that you will meet with a Service Canada Representative and that you will not need to wait very long. It’s safer and more convenient.
08 If you cannot get an appointment, you can still walk in
Many Service Canada offices can still provide service if you walk in with your application. An early morning arrival will likely result in a long wait. But you also don’t want to wait until the end of the day to arrive, as the office may not be able to serve you.
Personally, I’ve had good luck arriving roughly two hours before the office closes. The morning rush has dissipated, and you’re still giving yourself enough of a buffer before the office cuts off walk-in applicants. If that isn’t possible, it also helps to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before the office even opens, meaning you can be one of the first in line.
09 Get your passport photos taken by the right professional
While you could always take your passport photos yourself to save a little bit of cash, it’s not worth it. Pay the extra dough to get passport photos taken by a pro who also specializes in passport photos. Many small independent photo studios set up shop near large city Service Canada offices, which makes this particularly convenient. These studios specialize in passport photography, so they will make sure that all children’s passport photos, including those of babies, comply with regulations. These studios also guarantee their work. And in the rare case that they provide a photo that does not get approved, you can easily go back to re-shoot the photos.
And if you’re applying at a Service Canada office located within a smaller city, your local Walmart will also guarantee approval. Walmart tends also to be less expensive than the studios located near the Service Canada offices.
10 Handling separation and divorce
If you and your co-parent are separated or divorced, then the parent who has custody or decision-making responsibilities (as prescribed by the Divorce Act) must apply for the passport. Both parents still must sign the passport application.
If you cannot find your child’s other parents or legal guardians, then you will need to contact the passport program. If you can wait between 3-12 business days for a response, then you can submit an inquiry online. If you cannot wait that long, then you will need to call the passport program, where you will likely be on hold for 60-90 minutes.
11 Find the right guarantor
In order to obtain a passport for your child, someone who has known you for two years or more must serve as a Guarantor.
This person also must:
- Have a valid Canadian Adult Passport or one that expired less than one year prior.
- Must be over 18.
- Know you well enough to confirm the information provided on your application.
- Be patient.
- Follow directions well.
- Be willing to provide the information required and sign in the appropriate area on your application.
- Be accessible to the Canadian Passport Office if they reach out to them.
Co-workers and neighbors are usually great guarantors, as you may need to have them fill out the application form more than once, and it’s helpful that they’re nearby. It’s also helpful to fill out as much of the application as you can for your guarantor. They can then fill in everything that you cannot. The Guarantor must also sign the back of one passport photo.
12 Gather required documents
You will need to provide proof of your child’s Canadian citizenship. For nearly every child born in Canada, an official birth certificate provided by the province of your child’s birth will suffice.
If your child was not born in Canada, then you will need to request a certificate of Citizenship from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
13 Fill out your form and apply
Don’t feel bad if you mess up. It’s easy to miss something. However, you’ll want to make this perfect if you apply by mail, so again, follow these steps and take your time…safe travels!
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