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If you are planning to apply for a Canadian passport, you need to know the application procedures and the time required to get a passport in order to get it before your upcoming trip. With hightened international security passports are required for travel into territories that once only required valid I.D.

While in-person applications are usually processed in two weeks (this excludes delivery delay), your applications sent via mail or through a receiving agent (Canada Post or Services Canada) may take up to ten weeks. While this is best case scenerio, passport application requests are at an all time high and you need to ask your local issuing office what the turnaround time is.

For applications sent through mail from the U.S. will require about twelve weeks to process them. Sometimes, there may be a delay in getting your passport due to the rapidly growing volume of passport applications that the passport office receives each day.

It is obvious from the time frame mentioned above that you wouldn’t want a further delay in getting your Canadian passport, which you may badly require to go on a holiday or a business trip.

Use the checklist listed below to rule out the possibility of making common errors that lead to delay in getting your Canadian passport:

Have you sent your application well in advance before your scheduled trip?

It’s your responsibility to ensure that you have filled the Canadian passport application form correctly. Incomplete or incorrect forms can be rejected and ruin your chances of going abroad.

If you are applying for a new passport because you lost your old one or it was stolen, you need to submit a Statutory Declaration form (PPT 203) along with your application. You can download this form from the website www.passportcanada.gc.ca and avoid delay in processing your application.

Have you filled in the date of travel box on the application form? Since this filed cannot be left blank, you must either enter your date of travel or mark it as “unknown”.

Before submitting your form, make sure that your personal and citizenship information has been filled. Often, people forget to fill up important details such as height, weight, hair color, and phone number(s).

When applying for your Canadian passport, you need to attach a legal document to prove your Canadian citizenship. While enclosing documents, please be aware that you cannot send a photocopy of the documents.

One reason why passport application may not be accepted is that the photos furnished are not identical. Make sure that you get your photos from commercial photographers who understand the specific requirements. Before submitting the photographs, make sure that your guarantor signs the back of one photo. Your passport photo must be clear and must show a neutral facial expression.

Another important document to be enclosed with your application form is the identification document. You need to either send an original copy of your Identification documents or send clear and legible photocopies (of both the sides) of the documents. If you are planning to send photocopies, your guarantor must certify them. It is important that the name on the identification documents matches the name you have mentioned in your passport application form.

You need to ensure that your guarantor has completed the section 2 (Declaration of Guarantor) of the application form before you submit your passport application.

And last but not the least, don’t forget to sign the application form and enclose the fees with your Canadian passport application form.