If you’re planning to travel, you’d better make sure your passport is in good condition and not near expiry. A Canadian epassport contains an electronic chip so any kind of damage can render it useless.
A Kelowna, B.C. man learned that lesson that hard way after being prevented from traveling because of a slightly torn passport. The tear is so small Grant Smith just taped it together and didn’t think anything of it until it was time to renew. He said because of the damage, the folks at the passport office told him it couldn’t be renewed and the passport would be declared invalid– forcing Smith to reapply from scratch and once again prove he’s a Canadian citizen. That’s when the nightmare began.
Smith was born in England and has been in the country since 1949. He became a citizen when he was 17 but over the years he misplaced his citizenship certificate. When he went online at Citizenship and Immigration Canada to apply for a copy, he got a notice saying it would take 5 months. Smith said a government representative told him it could take as long as two years.
"The favorite phrase I've been using lately is ridiculous,” Smith told CTV News. “I will actually be locked here in Canada unable to travel anywhere."
Smith needs to travel for work and to make matters even worse, he was told that his Nexus card would also be rendered useless because it’s tied to his passport.
He had his old expired passport in his possession, was holding a valid Nexus card and has paid taxes for years, so he was shocked that officials couldn’t just confirm him in the system.
"There's such a paper trail on this, it's embarrassing," says Smith.
Smith started writing letters and filling out applications back in November. He ran into roadblocks until he enlisted the assistance of his local MP, Stephen Fuhr and contacted CTV News.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada told us it receives 55,000 requests every year for citizenship replacement certificates and while that can take time to process those requests, copies can also be expedited in special circumstances. The need to travel in the case of family illness or death, needing to prove citizenship to get a job or, like in Grant’s case, the need to cross the border for work are all considered special circumstances.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada did confirm to CTV that it has the ability to confirm someone’s citizenship through internal systems and that can be done within 48 hours.
"I don't think the average Canadian has a clue about what can potentially happen if you don't have all the of the documentation on hand when you want to renew an important document like a passport, " added Smith.
The irony to the story is Smith says his passport was damaged when it was swiped in the machine by an immigration officer but he couldn’t remember when or where. He was lucky that he had been able to travel with the slightly damaged passport. He could have been stopped anytime just like he was blocked at the passport office when he tried to renew it.
Another warning: check the expiry date of your passport carefully. Some countries won’t let you in if you don’t have six months or more left before it expires.
Take extra care with your passport. It can be rendered useless if wet or torn, even slightly. And keep birth certificates, citizenship papers secured and easily accessible at all times.
