Re-newing Passports

[wee-haggis]

I know this has been discussed before,but I have to put my 2 cents in.

The renewal process is nothing but a pain in the backside !
To have to once again supply a full 3 page document with information that has not changed since last time I applied.....ask for my mothers maiden name ...try to find a guarantor....take more awful photos .....give them valuable documents(not photocopies)...etc,etc
I did all this 4 years ago and I don't see why we can't adopt a similar system to what they have in the UK where a passport renewal can be obtained a lot easier than ours by simply sending in you expired passport with a short covering document(The UK's are 10 years.....ours are 4-1/2 because most countries will not allow entry when your passport is within 6 months of expiry). By using the UK method it is by no means bypassing or circumventing the stict rules ,regulations and requirements to obtain a passport here in Canada.

 

[Miandrea]

I have to agree - it is a real pain! I just did it this summer - it was painful

 

[sammi]

Oh boy do I hear ya!

 

[jtdl]

Yeah, I don't know what it is with our gov't - why most things have to be sooooo complicated! A short form for renewals and a new picture would suffice just fine I would think, but nooooo as you said .... find another guarantor -which is getting harder and harder to do since a lot of doctors are refusing to do it now (cause they don't get paid) and I don't know any officials at my bank - with the new self service options - who does?!!? And then for them to only be valid for 5 years - that is ridiculous IMHO. A big pain in the behind.....

 

[Scratch42]

That's the problem, technically, we are not renewing them.

We are re-applying for passports.

I wouldn't mind so much if they were good for 10 years!

j