Steve_

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/articles/20111110.aspx?lang=eng



So originally they were supposed to be out Q4 2011, then it was "sometime in 2012", now it's Q1 2013.

Cannot fathom why they would want to continue issuing 5-year passports, other than to keep the unions happy. Which they won't be, because everyone will get a ten-year passport. Why would you pay more for less when like it says, it will cost less per year for a ten-year passport?

Former Lancastrian

Im guessing this will be Harpers fault
I too cant stand the rationale in only having a 5 year validity. Also what is the rationale in that once your passport expires it is deemed as an application for a passport rather than a renewal of an existing passport holder although they did make it slightly easier in applying.

If anyone uses the rationale that people change and therefore look like nothing on their passport picture then I will argue that 2 hours after a passport has been issued then most women have changed their hairstyle and colour and look nothing like their passport picture

MarylandNed

http://www.passportcanada.gc.ca/cons....aspx?lang=eng

The new 5-year and 10-year passports will both have 36 pages (they've done this because having a single passport format reduces costs). They are thinking that frequent travellers might go for having two 5-year passports over a 10 year period instead of one 10-year passport (because they would then get 72 pages instead of 36 pages over that 10 year period). It remains to be seen whether frequent travelers will think this way or not.

The proposed new fees are as follows ($25 is the consular fee; not levied on child passports):
10-year passport = $135 + $25 = $160
5-year passport = $95 + $25 = $120
Child passport (5-year) = $57

However, if you apply from outside Canada, the fees go up significantly:
10-year passport = $235 + $25 = $260
5-year passport = $165 + $25 = $190
Child passport (5-year) = $100

PMM

Hi


Note now you get a 24 page passport, for $5.00 more, you can 48 pages. Assume it will be the same for the 10year passport, maybe $10 to double the pages.

MarylandNed

Nope. The 48 page passports are being discontinued. The new passports will all be 36 pages whether you get a 5-year or 10-year passport.

wizzard

since my current one expires in 2012 I guess I don't need to worry about it for another 5 years...

MarylandNed

You could postpone renewing your Canadian passport until 2013 and in the meantime just travel on another passport (e.g. UK) if you have one.

Steve_

Speaking as a frequent traveller, I have a NEXUS card because most Canadians who travel frequently are going to the US. The only reason I have a passport is because of the IATA rules that require you to show it at check-in.

Obviously I also have a British passport which I use when travelling elsewhere than the US or Canada, which most other Canadians wouldn't have, but still I think you'd have to be going some to fill in a 36-page passport if you have a NEXUS card.

From what I remember from the consultation, the new passports will have RFID chips in them so there will be less of a need to stamp them as it will be done increasingly by computers. There is a strong effort to tie together all the frequent traveller systems being used by various countries.

I cannot fathom why there is any need to continue with 5-year passports. Why everything in Canada seems to have a five year validity never made sense to me until I started talking to people in unions. Because more people now want passports because of the US requirement, that is the reasoning behind making them valid for ten years, to reduce demand. So why leave any ability for them to be valid for five years?

Former Lancastrian

What pisses me off is the inconsistency and information about all these programs such as NEXUS and when you need an actual passport.
Im always being asked do you need a passport if going to the US and I have a valid NEXUS card.
This is taken from the WHTI website
Canadian citizens flying to the United States must present a valid passport to confirm their citizenship and identity. A NEXUS card is also acceptable when using a self-serve kiosk located in the pre-clearance area at designated Canadian airports

Then it says this
Members of the NEXUS program are still required to carry appropriate documentation when travelling into Canada by air in addition to their NEXUS card.
So do you need a passport or not if travelling to the US on a NEXUS card and using one of the self serve kiosks at airports with US pre clearance?

NEXUS cards also allow you to use fast track lanes for pre screening by CATSA when flying domestically.
You can even use your NEXUS card when travelling back from Cuba & Mexico
which really doesnt help as you have to wait for your checked in bags anyway
Im thinking in a few years lots of people will have NEXUS cards and still have to wait as there will not be enough kiosk machines to process card holders and when the machines go down as they often do then they will have to see a BSO anyway.
The NEXUS card is still cheaper than a passport but if you need a passport anyway why spend the extra $50 to get a NEXUS card.
Usually only very frequent travellers gain by using the NEXUS card especially at the busier airports.
Oh and dont forget this gem

The Government of Canada continues to recommend that Canadian citizens carry a valid Canadian passport for all visits abroad, including visits to the United States. A passport is the only universally-accepted identification document, and it proves that you have a right to return to Canada.
Last time I checked my NEXUS card indicates Im a Canadian Citizen.