Fastest passport office line... South or DT?

[M*A*S*H 4077]

I was at the south office a couple weeks ago and it took just over an hour

[psicodude]

I renewed mine a few months back, and I think the key is to fill out the form online. Maybe it was just lucky, but there is a separate line for people that do it online as opposed to the old school by pen. This was at Harry Hays and I was out in 10 minutes at about 9:30 am. I had to go our of town in a few days so I paid for the expedited service and picked it up at the same location in 2 business days.

I was told that the online form actually validates the data beforehand, but I am not entirely sure that is true.

[Northendzone]

I know people who drove in from airdrie, the left thier house at 9.30 am and they were back home, with a passport in hand at 9.15.....apparently there is a worm hole just off of big springs road.

[RedMileDJ]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Just wondering if anyone has applied or renewed their passport in person in the last while and know which of the two offices, in Calgary, has a shorter line/wait? It was probably a 4 hour wait at the Harry Hays 5 years ago and hoping to avoid that this time. Never been to the south office, but the line was insane when I checked it out 5 years ago.

I want to do this in person as opposed to mailing in, so hoping someone can give me info on the quicker of the two locations.

btw, I am renewing, but my wife has to apply for a new one because of marraige name change- not sure if that makes a difference on lining up. Both hoping to go tomorrow.

Thanks.

I applied for my 2nd NEW passport (old one expired over 2 years ago...oops), 10 days ago.

Went to the SOUTH office on July 12th (during Stampede) at approx 4:30pm. They close at 5:30pm. I waited 10 minutes to see the next clerk. GO ON A THURSDAY! This was the main key. My passport arrived today. Registered mail. My wife had to sign for it.

Yah...pretty damn quick, imo.

So when the app says 10 days...they mean it. Just make sure EVERYTHING is 110% accurate. I got my photo done at Japan Camera, because they will re-take the photo for free, if it's rejected.

Good luck!

edit: added note: Fill out the app on your PC at home, using the PDF you can download. Then there is no chance of them not being able to make out your writing or whatever.

[Jimmy Stang]

Things have definitely improved since that mad scramble created by the need for US-bound travellers to have a passport. A few months ago we needed to get one for my baby boy and we must have caught the south office on a bad day because it was lined up outside the door. We were in and out of Harry Hays within minutes.

Now my wife's passport is up for renewal in November - will I remember to renew it in say, October, or will I be renewing it at the last minute again? Does anyone know if the renewal is for 5 years from the date or renewal, or 5 years from the date of expiry on your old one? If it is the latter, I might as well do it now.

[Kswiss]

Harry Hay for sure! Took like 15 minutes....It just sucked that I paid for an hours worth of parking

[Kswiss]

..

[Jimmy Stang]

Giving this thread a bump. I need to renew my passport (and my wife's) tomorrow. Two factors that have changed since this thread was last active:

- The new 10-year passports are now available. This is actually why I have waited until after July 1st to renew mine.

- The flooding. Obviously. The Harry Hays building has re-opened as of today, and downtown is officially "open for business" again.

Any guesses (or better yet, actual information) as to whether the Harry Hays might actually be more efficient as people may still be avoiding downtown? Or perhaps there will a mad rush there as it has just re-opened.

I'll be trekking down to either office with my two-year-old, so efficiency is the key, and any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Kybosh]

I would probabaly say head to the south office because parking is going to be even crappier downtown today.

[Nammer403]

Co-worker of mine there on Friday, she said it took her 40 mins at the south location

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Giving this thread a bump. I need to renew my passport (and my wife's) tomorrow. Two factors that have changed since this thread was last active:

- The new 10-year passports are now available. This is actually why I have waited until after July 1st to renew mine.

- The flooding. Obviously. The Harry Hays building has re-opened as of today, and downtown is officially "open for business" again.

Any guesses (or better yet, actual information) as to whether the Harry Hays might actually be more efficient as people may still be avoiding downtown? Or perhaps there will a mad rush there as it has just re-opened.

I'll be trekking down to either office with my two-year-old, so efficiency is the key, and any input would be greatly appreciated.

Was at Harry Hays this morning to renew -- entire process took around 45 minutes. Relatively painless. No idea how this compares to other days, but I'm pretty happy considering (i) today was the first day it was open after being closed for more than a week, and (ii) today was the first day for the 10-year passports.

EDIT: I should also say -- we filled out our renewal forms online (barcode pdf).

[Senator Clay Davis]

If you're just doing the renewal you can always apply by mail. I didn't have to go to the passport office, just did it all online, mailed in the forms and got my passport in about 3 weeks. Not sure if these new passports require a different process however.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

If you're just doing the renewal you can always apply by mail. I didn't have to go to the passport office, just did it all online, mailed in the forms and got my passport in about 3 weeks. Not sure if these new passports require a different process however.

This is true as well -- we are travelling at the end of the month so we didn't want to risk it; I was told this morning it would be 10 business days for processing the new 10 year passports (same as before), but not sure about mail-ins (previously listed as 20 business days).

[Jimmy Stang]

Thanks for the responses everyone. As it turns out, my juggling of things may result in me dropping my car for servicing in the North, and my Mum might be taking my son for a few hours. I might just hop on the 301 and bus it to Harry Hays and parking will be a non-issue.

Originally Posted by tvp2003

This is true as well -- we are travelling at the end of the month so we didn't want to risk it; I was told this morning it would be 10 business days for processing the new 10 year passports (same as before), but not sure about mail-ins (previously listed as 20 business days).

I'm in the same boat. I could have renewed earlier, but I was waiting for the 10-year passport, and I need to travel on July 24th. A bit tight, obviously, and I'm happy to pay for expedited service if necessary. But an in-person renewal will definitely save me a few days of valuable time. Not having to do photos and a renewal in 5 years will be a nice bonus, and well worth any immediate hassle and costs to expedite.

[Jimmy Stang]

Well that went really well. I arrived at the Harry Hays building at about 11:00, and I was out the door by 11:50. They told me that I should expect to have my passport within two weeks, so I took a small gamble and opted not to get expedited service even though I have to travel in three weeks. The lady at the desk could make no guarantees, but she was relatively confident based on their current volumes. I do have dual citizenship and another country's passport, so my backup plan is to use that, although there will be a bit of a hassle with obtaining a visitors visa to the US (relatively easy to get), etc. But my gut tells me I won't have to worry.

So if all goes well, I should have a shiny new 10-year passport within a couple of weeks.

[Flabbibulin]

Well, not even a year since I wrote the OP and wife has already lost her passport. So annoying. The worst part is I am fairly certain it is in the house somewhere but we have no choice at this point but to get a new one.

[ken0042]

I'd tear the house appart again. You pretty much only get one passport replaced from being lost; per lifetime.

OK, maybe a bit of hyperbole, but from what I have heard it gets harder and harder as you lose them. Might also be harder to cross the border with a passport labelled "replacement."

[Flabbibulin]

Ya, we tore the house apart last night and this morning and called every place we could think of- no luck.

Wife did all the paper work, went to harry hays and had a new one on order in about an hour. $50 extra to have it expedited as we leave next thursday. Good news I guess is this one is a 10 year.

[Bunk]

Passport Canada has done a lot in recent years to completely change their customer service model. Very successful - my last passport experience (Harry Hays) was quick and seamless. The one prior to that 5 years before (around 2006) was the worst customer experience I had ever had.

Now, why can't the Federal Government follow their lead and fix Service Canada and other citizen-facing services?

[tvp2003]

Further to my post above on 7/2, our passports apparently arrived in the mail this morning. One day shy of two weeks (including mail) for regular service.

Apparently the new 10-year ones are purrrdy.