Canadian Passports for Canadian Children

[Eveningsong]

We recently drove 1 1/2 hours to the Whitby Passport office to apply for my grandson's passport. Grandma wants to take the little man to Disney next year.

We had the application, photo, birth certificate, guarantor, etc.

A very rude, and I mean rude clerk ripped a strip off us because we didn't have the long form birth certificate, and our photo (taken a professional photographer) was no good. It had a tiny shadow. My grandson is 15 months old. Home we truck another 1 1/2 hour drive.

Get the photo retaken for free. Apply online for the long form birth certificate $35.00. It arrived in the mail in a few days. The passport application is $22.00. This passport is good for 3 years.

Trucked back 1 1/2 hours drive to Whitby, photo good, long form birth certificate good, get to an agent. I asked why we had to have the long form birth certificate, and my niece didn't for her children. The answer which isn't listed anywhere on the passport website - the parents aren't married. What is states on the website is, you might be asked for the long form birth certificate for a child's passport application.

Any time we apply for my grandson's passport until he is 16 years old, we will need the long form birth certificate.

What a Grandma goes through just to take her little man to see Mickey Mouse. Yes the passport arrived this week so we are good to go.

 

[Tantor]

From what I understand the short form is not to be used for children under 16. I recently updated my DD (she's 11) passport and had to use the long form.
That's how I understood it.

Glad you have the passport now after all that

 

[b-1]

This was my experience. If the parents were not married when the child was born then the long form BC is required. If parents are married then the short form is accepted.

 

[maryliz]

This was my experience. If the parents were not married when the child was born then the long form BC is required. If parents are married then the short form is accepted.

This has been exactly the "flavour of the requirements" ... and if the parents are married but have different last names, that's been another one. The requirement is vague, and only causes problems like the OP had. And you're dealing with 2 different levels of govt for BC's and PPT's ... I said a few years ago that the provincial govt should only give new parents one option when they apply for a birth certificate ... pay $xxx in fees and receive both a long and short form one. Would save many headaches down the road. Myself and several sets of friends/relatives have got passports for their kids over the past few years ... all had kids after they were married, and none of us had to supply a long form BC.

Eveningsong ... You're an AWESOME Grandma !

 

[AprilFool]

When I bought our passports, we had to get the long BC for my 6 year old because my DH and I were not married when she was born even though she has our last name, not my maiden name. Our 3 year old was able to use the short BC. We had a great clerk at the passport office (Winnipeg). She was very helpful and kept all our info asside and let me just fax in the the long BC when I got it so I did not have to go down again.

 

[Allegro]

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a "long form" and not only weren't my DS's parents married when he was born - we weren't his parents! We adopted him at a year old. Hmmm... we used his normal "short" birth certificate when we got his his passport last year.

 

[drag n' fly]

we had to use the long

 

[happycamper83]

It's such a "make work" money grab. Why even have three different forms of birth identification (certificate of birth, birth certificate short and long). So inefficient and confusing for all.

 

[Northstar]

I hear you, happycamper83! I have all three for my daughter, wish I had known and hadn't wasted time and money on anything but the long form. It's just outdated to be still offering those wallet-sized thingies that don't even list the parents' names. What are they good for?

 

[coastgirl]

Northstar, just wanted to say, sorry for the hassle but glad it worked out.

I'm thinking the requirements aren't so clear b/c if they stated outright unmarried parents were treated differently, they'd be accused of rights violation...I understand the need to be cautious and make sure everything is in order when kids are leaving the country, but whether or not the parents are married I would think is not a fair indicator...

 

[KandL]

We only needed the short BC for our kids but we are married. I stressed about this alot because we also do not have a passport office in our town and had to drive 2 hours. First stop CAA (Cambridge, Ontario) were we got photos. Photographer said that they have denied photos because kids eyebrows and ears weren't showing but she spent the time to fuss with them and in the end we didn't have a problem with the pictures. We also got them for $10 ea. as we are members. The photographers around here charge $20-$25 ea. Then we had them signed by guarantor (sister- in- law is a CA and lives in that city). The next day we went to the Kitchener office. We arrived at 8:15am and it opened at 8:50 am. I was done and leaving the parking lot at 9:11 am. People were very friendly and polite. This was done on a Thursday in August 2007 and I had my mail carrier ring my doorbell to hand me my passports 7 days later on the following Thursday morning! It was a pleasant experience despite the 2 hour drive.

 

[drag n' fly]

The long was required for us because our first two kids are from my first marriage. I have full custody of my children and the third child is a result of my present...and last marriage. Passport Canada required the long version.

 

[bluedaisy1974]

the long form is required especially when the parents have different names...
when you fill out a child's passport app, it asks for the parents names (obviously) and you have to 'prove' that you 2 are the parents of said child, therefore you need a long form as it has proof of both names.

 

[vy2cga]

We took our kids long bc forms with us to Halifax when we applied last Dec. We were not asked for them and used the short form birth certicates. We are married and were when kids were born but my legal name is hypenated which they had a slight problem with. Both kids pictures were rejected but had the pictures retaken locally for free.

 

[elismom]

Why were their photos rejected?

 

[vy2cga]

The kids have fair complextions and blended into the white background so it did not scan into Passport Canada's computers. We had to put blush on DS as he was only 8 months old at that time to have him stand out. We were lucky to have them with us. DD daughter's passed but when they rejected DS's picture, they then rejected DD's since we had to go get new pictures anyway.

 

[Charleyann]

I was draped in a black cloth.They said they needed me to stand out more! Oh well, the passport wasn't rejected....


Charleyann

 

[KiKi Mouse]

I used the short birth certificates for both my daughters.
DD#1 is 9 and is from a previous marriage. I had to get my ex to sign the application and send in a copy of our custody order. No problems.
DD#2 is a baby. Her passport arrived with our surname spelled wrong. Back it goes. Another month later it arrives. All good.
Entire process takes 4 months!