Whitby Passport office?

[tigercat]

Has anyone had any experience with the whitby passport office? My dsis is going to go there to get her passport. I have been trying to get her to get her passport since the mid part of Dec. She is going this week. We are going to Florida on the 10th of April and since we are flying she needs it. We are flying and then taking a cruise so hopefully it comes. I was wondering how long the wait is to get to the counter and how long it takes once it has been accepted.
tigercat

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Whitby is the way to go! I got mine done last year around this time and remember a thread about the Whitby office. The lineups are almost non-existent. Around lunch time it gets a little busier but compared to scarboro and downtown TO it is like a ghost town. My hubby was there around 10:30 in the morning and there was one other person in line.

I had our passports mailed to us and I think it took two and half weeks.

 

[tigercat]

Thanks Diamondintheruff. Silly me though. All of a sudden tonight I thought that maybe I should look over my own passport and it expires May 2008. I need to get one in a hurry now. Am I glad that I decided to look now and not later. We get back by the 21st of April but I don't think the cruise line will take my passport even though it still has a little time on it. I myself will be going to the Kitchener office. I have tried Brampton, Hamilton and TO and it is a LOT easier to go to Kitchener. At the same time I will be able to go and see my dd and my 2 dgrkids.
tigercat

 

[cdnmickeylover]

We got ours at Whitby last summer on a Saturday morning. It was busy -- we had to wait about 1.5 hours in line but it went smoothly as we had all of our documents ready. Our passports came less than 2 weeks later - they come by registered mail.

 

[Terapin]

Recently I waited about 2 hours, but it was smooth and we got them in 2.5 weeks. They said that the crowds were larger than normal due to winter vacations. My mom when last summer and we were in and out in 15 minutes on a Friday afternoon.

 

[busterblue]

Tigercat, you can fill out a "renewal" application form since yours hasn't expired. It doesn't require all the cosigners etc.. Get it online

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/form/index.aspx?lang=eng

I renewed mine in November at the Mississauga office (that is one of the busiest) and I waited maybe 45 minutes tops. Handed them the paperwork and credit card and got it in about 3 weeks. Make sure they clearly note to mail it to you (you can pick it up if you want). Also check your form multiple times because almost every single person in front of me had missed filling something out or signing somewhere.

 

[Northern_Julie]

Huge hint
Do all your work online and print it off.
I went to the Ottawa passport office on a busy day got my number to sit down. There were not many chairs left. i took a breath and was ready for the wait. Then my number was called. I froze then went up. There were lots of people there before me. I showed my number and he said yes it was my turn. He said if you do it online you get fast tracked but it isnt that well known. I was in an out in 15 minutes from the time I got my number. Most of that was chatting with the agent becasue his inlaws where from where I lived. Two and a half week later it was in hand.

 

[disneyfan2]

Huge hint
Do all your work online and print it off.
I went to the Ottawa passport office on a busy day got my number to sit down. There were not many chairs left. i took a breath and was ready for the wait. Then my number was called. I froze then went up. There were lots of people there before me. I showed my number and he said yes it was my turn. He said if you do it online you get fast tracked but it isnt that well known. I was in an out in 15 minutes from the time I got my number. Most of that was chatting with the agent becasue his inlaws where from where I lived. Two and a half week later it was in hand.

Me too, i got alot of looks, but i did check into it and prepareed, and was well aware that on line appl have a separate and shorter line.

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

Huge hint
Do all your work online and print it off.

Is the on line form different than the printed forms (picked up at the post office. I am using the Simplified Renewal form.

Where to you go to get the on line forms.

 

[disneyfan2]

Is the on line form different than the printed forms (picked up at the post office. I am using the Simplified Renewal form.

Where to you go to get the on line forms.

The forms are the exact same, but you are actually filling in the application on line. Then you need to print it once you have it completed.(i believe it will stay on the system for 30days) so then you print the form with all your info on it, have your gaurantor sign if needed, and take that to the passport office. this is why it is faster because they can pull your application up and it will all be ready. Just be careful how it prints out, they actually show you what it needs to look like, so make sure that the margins are the same(there will be instructions)

I think if you go to the passport site, there is a spot to apply on line.

 

[Northern_Julie]

Is the on line form different than the printed forms (picked up at the post office. I am using the Simplified Renewal form.

Where to you go to get the on line forms.

Same form just makes there job easier because it is all in the computer. Why I don't know but I know on person said they were told an hour.
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/index.aspx

 

[JenH1969]

My family and I went on December 31- we were there at about 9"30am- we waited about an hour and 15 min from the time we arrived till we left- however- when we were leaving the line was much longer- so going early may be a good idea- less than 3 weeks early we received our passports- we had the forms filled out from online but we were not fastracked- HTH, Jen

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

One more question about the on line form.

Is it just for the regular application. Or can you use the renewal form as well?