Discussions

Ok... So we are planning a winter trip in the US but no body has ever had a passport. Now my question is..... The children need to have their long form birth certificates of which we don't have. Correct? So will have to request them. Will I need to request those documents as well for myself? I have my marriage certificate from Vital stats already. I have my Sm birth certificate card from my wallet. Also, my husband wasn't born in Canada but has lived here his whole life what will he need to get a Canadian passport?? I've been meaning to do the passport thing for sometime but it seems like such a hassle. Can anybody who has applied recently offer any advise to make this process go smoothly?? I'm finding it to be a very daunting task!!

My advice would be to go to Service Canada-1039 Princess Ave. They will be able to answer all your questions and tell you what you need. Is your husband a Canadian Citizen if he wasn't born here? He will need proof of that for his Canadian passport. This is what they do at Service Canada, they are very helpful and you'll know you are given the right information. They can even send the applications off for you, they did my hubby's.

We just renewed all of our passports, and 2 of our children got their very first passports earlier this year. You need a valid birth certificate, a marriage certificate, and for the adults, at least one other form of government issued id. ie. driver's licence, or mb health card. If you do not have birth certificates, you just have to apply for them through vital statistics. For your husband, as long as he is a Canadian citizen, just follow the directions on the application, and list his birth info correctly.  
 
You wil also need a guarantor to sign your applications for you, as well as references for the adult application. Again, the application forms walk you through all of the instructions very simply. All of the forms can just be printed right off of the canada government passport website.  
 
You will go to the service canada building on 11th st. and princess ave. and they will walk you through the rest, and send everything away for you. It'll only take 3 weeks or so, and you will have them all back. They will be able to tell you if you have made any mistakes on your applications before sending them away, or if your passport pictures may be rejected. I would recommend definitely using this office, or going straight to the winnipeg office to have the applications processed rather than mailing everything away yourself. If you mail it in all yourself, and there is a problem, it will just prolong the process.  
 
It is kind of an annoying process, and easy to forget things or make mistakes. Just have all of your stuff organized, applications filled out, and the service canada office will walk you through the rest!

we went to Princess Avenue 3 times, saw the same staff member, and all 3 submissions had mistakes on them that she never caught and put thru. Each wrong submission, means weeks delays) I needed to order my long form Birth certificate, my marriage license, and my daughters long for BC. This all began in April and I am still waiting for my marriage certificate from Vital Statistics. My suggestion would be to call Passport Canada and have them go thru the forms with you step by step.

I would suggest putting a rush on any documents you need ordered, as this can delay the process by weeks. Ie. birth certificates. Don't forget as well that with this whole postal disruption thing, it could make the process that much more difficult. If you are not in a rush, don't worry too much, but if you are, I would suggest going straight to winnipeg to have them done in person if you are able to take a day and do that.

Jellybean said "We just renewed all of our passports, and 2 of our children got their very first passports earlier this year. You need a valid birth certificate, a marriage certificate, and for the adults, at least one other form of government issued id. ie. driver's licence, or mb health card. If you do not have birth certificates, you just have to apply for them through vital statistics. For your husband, as long as he is a Canadian citizen, just follow the directions on the application, and list his birth info correctly.     You wil also need a guarantor to sign your applications for you, as well as references for the adult application. Again, the application forms walk you through all of the instructions very simply. All of the forms can just be printed right off of the canada government passport website.     You will go to the service canada building on 11th st. and princess ave. and they will walk you through the rest, and send everything away for you. It'll only take 3 weeks or so, and you will have them all back. They will be able to tell you if you have made any mistakes on your applications before sending them away, or if your passport pictures may be rejected. I would recommend definitely using this office, or going straight to the winnipeg office to have the applications processed rather than mailing everything away yourself. If you mail it in all yourself, and there is a problem, it will just prolong the process.     It is kind of an annoying process, and easy to forget things or make mistakes. Just have all of your stuff organized, applications filled out, and the service canada office will walk you through the rest! "

Since when do they require marriage certificates? I'm on my second passport, just renewed this winter and neither time was I asked for a marriage certificate.

When your birth name is different from your current name i.e. you got married. For the first passport in the married name they will need a certificate to show why your name is different. If you kept your name then you wouldn't need to. Once you have a passport in your married name you don't need the certificate again to renew, unless you marry again and change your name again.

burkejan said "    Jellybean said "We just renewed all of our passports, and 2 of our children got their very first passports earlier this year. You need a valid birth certificate, a marriage certificate, and for the adults, at least one other form of government issued id. ie. driver's licence, or mb health card. If you do not have birth certificates, you just have to apply for them through vital statistics. For your husband, as long as he is a Canadian citizen, just follow the directions on the application, and list his birth info correctly.     You wil also need a guarantor to sign your applications for you, as well as references for the adult application. Again, the application forms walk you through all of the instructions very simply. All of the forms can just be printed right off of the canada government passport website.     You will go to the service canada building on 11th st. and princess ave. and they will walk you through the rest, and send everything away for you. It'll only take 3 weeks or so, and you will have them all back. They will be able to tell you if you have made any mistakes on your applications before sending them away, or if your passport pictures may be rejected. I would recommend definitely using this office, or going straight to the winnipeg office to have the applications processed rather than mailing everything away yourself. If you mail it in all yourself, and there is a problem, it will just prolong the process.     It is kind of an annoying process, and easy to forget things or make mistakes. Just have all of your stuff organized, applications filled out, and the service canada office will walk you through the rest! " Since when do they require marriage certificates? I'm on my second passport, just renewed this winter and neither time was I asked for a marriage certificate. "

My first passport was not in my married name, so a marriage certificate was needed when applying for a new passport after I got married, I could not just renew the old one. Not sure if you would need a marriage certificate if you are just renewing a passport that is already in your married name. Likely not.....

I needed mine because my first passport was in my maiden name. Renewal's wouldn't require one if it is already in your married name.

Since you have a couple of valid questions, my advice is to call the Government of Canada Passport service at 1-800-567-6868 (General Inquiries) first. Toll free call and they are there for questions like yours.  
 
Jot down your questions and take note of the information they give you (they are so very helpful).  
 
Then do as they say and take your completed applications/photos to Service Canada on 11th and Princess here in Brandon. I have found them to be very helpful. They will look over everything and let you know if all is clear for them to send it on to be processed (no charge).. They gave me quite a lead time for expecting the passports, but they came in much sooner than expected. It depends on how busy they are.  
 
They will also guide you regarding the possible Canada Post strike that's looming and what to do in this case.  
 
Good luck and happy travels!  
 
Edited by Kellye, 2016-07-07 11:42:05

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/help/

just got ours down at Brandon Photographics on 18th Street.  
 
http://www.brandonphoto.com/#!id-photos/c1y

You can also get pictures done at CAA if you are a member

Don't waste your time and money at Brandon Photogtaphics. My photos from there were rejected by the Passport office 3 times because they could tell that some "photo shopping" had been done... (And it didn't even make me look any better!) I went to CAA and it was accepted right away. By the way, does anybody know why your picture needs to look like you just had the worst day of your life? If you feel as bad as your picture makes you look, you should NOT be travelling!

I had my free photos from CAA rejected and so went to Brandon Photographics. Had a number of photos done there and none have been rejected. Makes you wonder if they just randomly reject.

Brandon Photographics have done them perfect. It was the box store chains I had problems with.