How easy is it to get a Canada passport?

[3 Justin 3]

This may seem like a stupid question, but in literally every movie/tv show I watch when ever someone wants to flee the country, or change their identity, they always end up getting or usually already having a fake Canadian passport. Seriously, try and watch a spy movie or a movie where someone wants to flee/change their identity, it is always a Canadian passport as their cover.

Just an observation I've had over the past X # of years of watching film/television.

It may be that Americans all secretly love us so much that they desire to be us so they always end up getting caught so they can use their Canadian passport.

[Northendzone]

I have never had trouble getting a passport for myself.

They check your other I'd when you apply, so you'd have to have some supporting documentation. It is not like you can just show up to the passport office and get it in 10 minutes

[saskflames69]

99.99999% of the time you need to be a Canadian citizen..

[Devils'Advocate]

I don't get it.... because in spy/"change of identity" FILMS AND TV SHOWS often show fake Canadian passports, it therefore must be easy to get a fake one? Maybe I don't understand the question.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I re-applied last month. They called my references last week. Usually they don't call your references if you are just renewing. Questions were pretty easy: "How long have you known him?" "Do you know when he was born?" "Where does he live?" "What does he look like?"

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

This may seem like a stupid question, but in literally every movie/tv show I watch when ever someone wants to flee the country, or change their identity, they always end up getting or usually already having a fake Canadian passport. Seriously, try and watch a spy movie or a movie where someone wants to flee/change their identity, it is always a Canadian passport as their cover.

Just an observation I've had over the past X # of years of watching film/television.

It may be that Americans all secretly love us so much that they desire to be us so they always end up getting caught so they can use their Canadian passport.

I only really noticed this in The Bourne Identity. What other movies or shows have you seen this in, specifically?

[polak]

315,000 rubles and 25 minutes. You get your passport.

[AR_Six]

Well considering when I last had to replace a damaged (beat up but perfectly legible) one I had to show up with my long form birth certificate and a bunch of other attestations... probably not that easy.

[Kybosh]

Canadian passports aren't necessarily easy to get, but stolen ones are valuable because of how easy it is to travel around as a Canadian abroad (assuming someone can forge a passing document). I don't really know if this is true, but I bet it is based on how I've seen other countries get the third degree when traveling. A Canadian passport gets you almost anywhere in the world.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

I only really noticed this in The Bourne Identity. What other movies or shows have you seen this in, specifically?

Dexter has one as well I think.

[Hack&Lube]

This may seem like a stupid answer, but in literally every movie/tv show I watch, almost everything is fake, exaggerated, scripted for drama/comedy/humor and does not reflect real life or reality in any way.

The easiest way of getting a passport is stealing them from tourists and then altering them. There's an active black market for stolen passports. They can also be counterfeited. Getting them actually from the government is probably not how passport fraud is committed.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

This may seem like a stupid answer, but in literally every movie/tv show I watch, almost everything is fake, exaggerated, scripted for drama/comedy/humor and does not reflect real life or reality in any way.

So you're saying I won't get to join the PGA tour by simply winning the Waterbury Open?

[Northendzone]

i should also note that in movies, it is easy to miss htting your enemy despite the fact you have several different kinds of automatic weapons and unlimited ammunition at your disposal.

i have also noticed that despite the thousands of different kinds of spaceships out there, it is seemingly quite easy to get a part for your hyperdrive in some far corner of the universe.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i should also note that in movies, it is easy to miss htting your enemy despite the fact you have several different kinds of automatic weapons and unlimited ammunition at your disposal.

i have also noticed that despite the thousands of different kinds of spaceships out there, it is seemingly quite easy to get a part for your hyperdrive in some far corner of the universe.

I learned that a tire iron in the face is something you get up from right away, like a stubbed toe.

[The Yen Man]

The rule of thumb for any action move: bad guys have bad aim. Goes without fail. The bad guys can be spraying bullets everywhere and not hit anything, but the good guys always have the one shot one kill skill.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

The rule of thumb for any action move: bad guys have bad aim. Goes without fail. The bad guys can be spraying bullets everywhere and not hit anything, but the good guys always have the one shot one kill skill.

so true!

I was watching a Korean drama where a guy was a double agent.

When he was Japanese (bad guy) he couldn't shoot anything.

When he was Korean (good guy) he could fling daggers with precision.

Same guy!

[wookster]

Methinks they use a Canadian passport in the movies all the time because...the main actor/spy is usually an english speaking American or European so if that person is going to try and pass off a another nationalitiy it makes sense to choose one where the people look like you and speak the same language.

[The Yen Man]

Its probably a compliment to Canada in general in that Hollywood thinks having a Canadian passport allows you the easiest access to countries out of any passport out there.

[jtfrogger]

I think one of the reasons that you will see Canadian passports in American movies is that it is easy to get a real one to use temporarily as a prop. Chances are, it belongs to one of the actors or other staff.

[Travis Munroe]

Just over a year ago I lost my passport. Then 3/4 months ago I had a small tear in my passport which apparently happens all the time. Despite bringing the damaged one in the lady at the passport office told me to cancel any trip I may have coming up.
Another lady at the office helped me out and I was granted a passport for the duration of my initial one (2 years left). I was told that should this one be damaged or stolen there is a zero percent chance I would be given another until my initial one would have expired.

[Rerun]

Apparently the new passports that they are coming out with (once they switch over to the 10 year ones in 2013) will have a lot more security features (some obvious and some not so obvious according to my wife... I'd tell you what they are but my wife would kill me).
They will also be embedded with a micro chip that will have that person's passport data on it.
The intention of course, is to make forgery a lot more difficult.... for the average forger of course... I doubt it will pose any problems for most foreign governments who are intent on forgery.