AlliF

Ok, then that is very weird. Maybe it was a mistake on their part and they just didn't want to admit it, nothing would surprise me with that lot...

jimf

Just the photo aspect. The actual passport applications (so far) have been fine.

Partially discharged

Things are improving somewhat. I have actually been able to communicate, via email, with a human in Durham. Previously I was getting autobot type email replies. I should have the new passport within about 3-4 weeks depending on Canada Post and the Royal Mail.

TheAwesomeMatt

Cheers, I'll check them out sometime this week.

jimf

Canadian passports received - only 8 days after leaving the application at the Calgary passport office. The photos of the children were definitely out of spec but it looks like that didn't matter.

When I submitted the UK passport renewal I had no Canadian passport at that time so didn't declare it or send a copy. The UK passport application may now be in process and now I do have a foreign passport. I expect countries exchange information on passports so I wonder if this will attract a red flag? Probably I will contact the UK passport office and explain and send them a copy of the Canadian passports if they wish?

Gozit

Nope that shouldn't be an issue.

For the record. Canadian provinces and territories issue 2 types of birth certificates and marriage certificates. The credit card sized ones, and the "long form" or "certified copy". This is what they are talking about. Long form/certified copy is an official copy of the exact sheet filed in the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario. The credit card sized one only works for some things. The UK authorities (and any foreign authorities) require the long form/certified copy of birth registration as they need more info than the average Canadian institution, which can likely pull up any information they need straight away, whereas foreign authorities do not have such access. I suspect this is the reasoning.

Partially discharged

As per posts 4,8,10 and 15 in this thread I'm going through this right now for our 19 year old daughter (born in Canada) with me (UK born) being the sponsoring parent to enable her to get a UK passport.

I had never heard or or seen a 'long form' or 'certified copy' of an Ontario birth certificate or marriage certificate. I've asked a few people I know here and they weren't aware of these types of documents. Service Ontario are processing my request now and I should have the acceptable versions soon.

Gozit

Yeah I addressed that bit of my post towards you... Weird you've never heard of it. I needed it as soon as I started going to apply for my Maltese citizenship and then for my Maltese passport and it seems when I was born (1999) my parents did get a long form birth certificate as they had one for me. We also have them for both my parents born in '72 and both my siblings born in '02 and '07. We were all born in Ontario... Though I suppose most canucks don't know what they are / what they are for as most times if you just apply for Ontario DL's and Canadian passports the credit card one suffices. The only time i've needed the long form was when doing stuff with foreign authorities. Its just a thing here I suppose. They (the canucks) have short form and long form birth certificates...

quiltman

There are also short and long birth certificates in the UK as well. My wife was adopted and has both - the original when she was born and the short for the adoption papers.
Re the passport application declaration. That, plus print out of payment slip is all you need to send with the supporting docs as what you filled in online is available to HMPO. Took less than 2 weeks to renew mine from here.

Partially discharged

I have both passports myself and up until now our daughter just had the Canadian passport. When we got her that passport (I think she was 4 weeks old at the time) all we required was the certificate issued by the City and signed by the City registrar etc that listed my full name, my wife's full name and the date and place of birth. I was the one who obtained that document as I registered the birth. Since then we've never needed anything more as the credit card sized birth certificate arrived soon after and we were good to go.

The wedding certificate is something that I don't think we've ever had to use anywhere.

At no time do I recall being told that there were long form 'certified' copies of these available and what the purpose would be of them.

The documentation from HMPO makes no mention of obtaining 'long form' 'certified' copies.

Partially discharged

I was not aware of the short birth certificates from the UK. Mine, issued in the 1960's is hand written and lists my father's occupation (but not mother's...hmm....), and won't fit on my printer glass screen to copy.

When I spoke with HMPO last week they told me in a rather withering tone about the short birth certificates.

BristolUK

I mailed my renewal application to the UK last Thursday 7th.

Monday night's tracking showed shipment delivered and receipt listed on Passport website tracking on Tuesday.

Today, Friday, shows dispatched.


I folded my declaration twice before I read to only do it once.

Gozit

I think the most acceptable explanation is that for Canadian documents, its more cut and dry, you're born here you're a citizen, it doesn't matter who your parents are (unless they were diplomats at the time of your birth). For someone born OUTSIDE the UK trying to claim UK citizenship/passport they need to ascertain that they are correct in their claim to British citizenship, so require the birth certificate from the official (ie provincial/national authority, not the city) institution with detailed information on parentage so they can ascertain the applicant is indeed a British citizen. The Canadian authorities are fine with credit-card size as the parentage doesn't matter in Canada as long as you were born here. When trying to claim citizenship jus sanguinis (by descent/right of blood) they need to make sure you are entitled to it.

To flip it around, if I had a child born in the UK and wanted to claim him/her a Canadian passport (since I was born in Canada) i'd need to provide the child's full long-form UK birth certificate with detailed parentage information to the Canadian authorities so they can make sure my child was indeed born abroad to a Canadian citizen parent.

Partially discharged

Certified documents arrived yesterday from Thunder Bay (one week turnaround time..not bad for Canada Post and the Provincial Government both to be involved

The documents that arrived were all signed by me back in 1993/1996. Apparently, back in 1993 I considered myself a Methodist and my wife a member of the United Church of Canada.

Gozit

Yay! Yes, not bad indeed.