Canada Passport Office

Question:

If she cannot renew her passport now, and she is in the UK when it is time for her passport to be renewed, will she have to return home to get the passport renewed, then return to the UK ? Or can she have the passport renewed within the UK, via the Consulate, for example ?

Answer:

I was wondering if someone could provide some advice on a problem my girlfriend has encountered.

My girlfriend is obtaining an Ancestry visa to come to work and live in the UK for an extended visit. Her passport has one year left to run before she has to renew it.

Earlier this week, she went to her local passport office in Canada to have the passport renewed, but they rejected the application because they say that they will only process applications for passports that have 6 months or less left on them.

She can apply overseas. see: http://www.ppt.gc.ca/faq/index_e.asp#210

If she can prove that she will be in the UK at the time her passport expires, she may be able to renew her passport before she leaves. She should take her airline ticket or reservation with her to the passport office. If she explains the situation, the examiner will likely renew the passport early. In In most cases, though--at least in Ontario, I can't speak to other regions--with proof of travel that shows the passport will expire while the bearer is abroad, the examiner shouldn't have a problem with renewing it early. She may need to write out and sign a statement indicating that she is aware that she is losing X amount of months from her passport (as the passport will be valid for 5 years from the issuance of the new passport, NOT the expiry of the existing, valid passport).

The problem with applying in the UK is that she will have a bit of a time getting a guarantor! The cost of having the In Lieu of Guarantor form certified (in Canada, a commissioner for oaths or notary public can certify it as well as a lawyer, but I have no idea what the situation would be in the UK) can be annoying. Another option is to get a passport application for applying abroad (usually available at the local Canadian Passport Office or downloadable from http://www.ppt.gc.ca/online_forms/index_e.asp) and getting it completed (with photos and Guarantor signatures, etc) before departing. Get it done as close as possible to leaving, just so the photo and signature are as recent as possible when she applies. If she does this, make sure that her Guarantor will be available if the consulate/embassy staff decide to do a Guarantor check. Also, please be sure she has her provinvial birth certificate (if born IN Canada) or her citizenship card with her to apply. A passport is _not_ proof of citizenship.

The information has be gratefully received.