The past couple of days have been very stressful.
During the Mont Blanc ultra, I was told to bring my passport as I would be crossing international borders. Due to the course change, that never actually happened, but I never removed it. It stayed in the pouch that I thought was waterproof. Obviously if I am mentioning it, it was not waterproof. A bit of rain got in. The cover got a little warped and some blue ink stained the first page. Other than that, it was completely legible and clear.
I assumed I would have nothing to worry about. But a friend told me I should still check. So yesterday I went to a government agency and checked. No, I need to replace my passport.
I should point out, in one week I am heading to the Dominican Republic. So I really need to have a valid passport.
I left work in the middle of the morning to collect information and go downtown to get my passport renewed. When I got there, I found out that I cannot renew my passport. Due to damage, I have to get a completely new one. Which means there are a lot more hoops to jump through to get one. The very least is that I need a guarantor.
I tried to use my dentist as one, but she didn’t have the information any more. Since the new rules came out that lowered the bar, she wasn’t asked to be one much anymore.
Eventually I decided to do it in the evening. The lineup at the passport office was huge, so it would be better to do it early in the next morning.
So, this morning I got up before the crack of dawn and got myself downtown to the passport office. I had all the documentation I needed so I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.
Except that the Canadian passport office doesn’t recognize the province of Manitoba anymore.
My birth certificate is no longer good enough. I don’t know their reasoning, but my 38 year old piece of paper doesn’t cut it anymore.
And to add insult to injury, the lady confiscated my passport. She claimed it was the property of the government of Canada. But now I can’t even try to use it and hope the airplane people don’t notice it was soggy.
The solution is to get a new one. From Manitoba.
I’ve started that paperwork, and paid the extra fee to get it rushed to me. It should arrive on Monday or Tuesday. If it is on Monday, I have a good chance that everything should work out. If it is on Tuesday, I may be cutting things too close.
I’d really like to go to the Dominican Republic and see all my friends.
Erik's Blog
Convenient object lessons for the majority
That really sucks. I was curious, so I looked it up:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2009/05/29/mb-birth-certificate-manitoba.html
This says that the federal government is working to make the public aware (over 2 years ago), and yet the website still says nothing:
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/info/section4.aspx?lang=eng#note1
Don’t feel too bad, you’re not alone. Our governments suck at accessibility, and it’s only getting worse. The really frustrating thing is that you’re right, it’s possible that entry onto an airplane with your existing passport would largely depend on the person looking at it. I’ve had similar problems recently with my SIN card and my health care card for various reasons (largely due to name change, despite the fact that I always carry my marriage certificate as additional proof), but only some people have given me grief. Won’t it just be easier when we are all implanted with RFIDs? 😉
I’m curious – since the passport got wet in France – did no one say anything to you on the trip home? You must have used it at least twice on the way home, I’d think.
Oh, there were comments on the way back. But most were along the lines of accusing me of leaving it in the wash. No one made mention of possibly declining it.