I've never had problems getting my passport before - and I've been faithfully renewing it myself since the age of 16. So that's 3 renewals that have gone on without a hitch. This fourth one though has been a doozy!
And if you remember anything about me and passports, it's that I'm not comfortable being without it in my possession!
I sent off for it in mid-August. From there their site says 10-20 business days, but in my experience, it has always been faster.
I heard nothing and received nothing for quite some time. Finally, on Sept.5, Passport Canada debited my credit card for the amount. On the 6th, they called to say they didn't like my signature - apparently it changed - so I needed to fax them a blank piece of paper with 4-5 of my signatures on it. I complied. Again, silence.
On the 11th I got another call saying I needed to fax them a piece of ID with my "new" signature on it. Again, I sent it off right away. Again, silence.
Finally, I called on the 19th of September, wondering what was going on! I told the agent my credit card had been charged, but I still had no passport. She told me they only put a charge through when it's accepted. Well, that was a lie!
Anyway, she was helpful enough to give me a tracking number and when I punched that in the Canada Post site, I discovered they had attempted delivery and apparently left a notice card. The notice card was not in my mailbox, however. It's as if someone was out to get me!
Finally, I managed to convince my local post office that my envelope was indeed there and they found a way to track it and give it to me. When I got home from the post office, the card was in my mailbox.
Weird.
So now I should be good for another 5 years. Unless I temporarily lose it again. But that's another story.
And if you remember anything about me and passports, it's that I'm not comfortable being without it in my possession!
I sent off for it in mid-August. From there their site says 10-20 business days, but in my experience, it has always been faster.
I heard nothing and received nothing for quite some time. Finally, on Sept.5, Passport Canada debited my credit card for the amount. On the 6th, they called to say they didn't like my signature - apparently it changed - so I needed to fax them a blank piece of paper with 4-5 of my signatures on it. I complied. Again, silence.
On the 11th I got another call saying I needed to fax them a piece of ID with my "new" signature on it. Again, I sent it off right away. Again, silence.
Finally, I called on the 19th of September, wondering what was going on! I told the agent my credit card had been charged, but I still had no passport. She told me they only put a charge through when it's accepted. Well, that was a lie!
Anyway, she was helpful enough to give me a tracking number and when I punched that in the Canada Post site, I discovered they had attempted delivery and apparently left a notice card. The notice card was not in my mailbox, however. It's as if someone was out to get me!
Finally, I managed to convince my local post office that my envelope was indeed there and they found a way to track it and give it to me. When I got home from the post office, the card was in my mailbox.
Weird.
So now I should be good for another 5 years. Unless I temporarily lose it again. But that's another story.
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| Happy with my passport finally! |
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| Not happy with this fiasco and you're not allowed to smile in Canadian passport photos. This is close to how it actually looks :) |
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