If you’re wondering how to renew your passport in Vancouver, BC, this overly detailed guide is for you.
You’ve probably heard by now that passport renewals are a complicated mess, that waiting times are excruciating, and (at the peak of the chaos) people were literally hiring folks to wait in line for them overnight.
Luckily, we are no longer dealing with 2022 wait times, and passport processing across Canada is a lot more normal.
That said, if you’re braving passport renewals this year, you probably still have a lot of questions, like what time should you get to the Passport Office? What are waiting times like at Service Canada right now? What should you bring for your passport renewal and how can you get it done faster?
In this post, we’ll share our recent (February 2023) experience renewing our passports in-person at the Service Canada Passport Service Centre in Sinclair Centre (Downtown Vancouver), along with tips and must-knows to ensure you do everything correctly.
NOTE: This post is all about the process for renewing a passport in Vancouver, not for getting a new passport. The requirements for that are slightly different, so be sure to only keep reading if you need to renew your passport, not get a new one.
Step by Step How to Renew Your Passport in Vancouver, BC
We will briefly summarize the process below based on our own experience in February 2023, but we’d highly recommend just reading through the official government website here in case anything changes.
Overall, here are the steps for renewing your passport:
- 1) Fully fill out the application form given here, including finding two references
- 2) Get passport photos taken, making sure the photographer writes their info/the photo date on the back of one of the photos
- 3) Mail the application OR book an appointment online for a Service Canada Centre/passport office OR go in person to a Service Canada Centre/passport office as a walk-in
And that’s it! You’ll of course also have to pay the relevant passport fee (which depends on whether you’re getting a 5 year or 10 year passport, whether you are doing urgent/express processing vs. regular processing and whether you are picking it up in person or having it mailed back to you.
If you mail your application, you will provide your payment details as part of your application form. If you go in-person, you will pay with a debit or credit card while you are there.
NOTE: The processing time at Passport Offices are quicker than at regular Service Canada Centres, so if you are in a rush, make sure you go to a Passport Office (available in Downtown Vancouver, Surrey, or Richmond). These are also the only offices that can do Urgent or Express service.
Mailing Your Application vs. Going in Person
Not sure if you should mail your application or go in person?
Here are the main differences:
- The processing time for mailed applications is said to be about 20 business days, the processing time for in person applications (at a Passport Office) is said to be about 10 business days
- If you need urgent or express processing, this is only possible in-person at a Passport Office
Overall, if you have a travel date coming up and want to get your passport sooner rather than later, you’re better off going to renew in person at a Passport Office. This is especially true if you want to get urgent or express service.
If on the other hand you don’t have upcoming travel, and would prefer the easiest and most convenient path, then mailing your application will likely be fine.
NOTE: In either case, they say they cannot guarantee your passport will be ready by the time they state. In extreme cases (like the first summer of travel post peak COVID), it may take weeks or months for your passport to be processed.
What to Bring for Your Vancouver Passport Renewal in Person
If you are renewing your passport in person, you should bring:
- Your completed application form (2 pages, signed and dated on both pages)
- 2 passport photos (on the back, one should have the photographer’s name, address and date the photos were taken)
- Your most recent passport
- A debit or credit card to pay for your passport fee
Based on our own experience, we’d also recommend you bring…
- An extra pen
- A water bottle
- Coffee/snacks
- A book or laptop to keep yourself entertained
Our Experience Renewing Passports in Downtown Vancouver (February 2023)
You can do passport renewals at any Service Canada Centre, or at a Passport Office (available in the Lower Mainland only in Downtown Vancouver, Surrey, or Richmond).
I chose to do mine at Sinclair Centre, since the commute Downtown is most convenient for me.
I had read Google Reviews of this office in advance, sorted by ‘Newest’ to get a sense of general wait times. It seemed like most recent reviews recommended going before 7am, so I planned to get there around then.
By the time I arrived, it was 6:55am. I was surprised to see no line-up outside (which I was picturing). Instead, I walked straight into Sinclair Centre, where I spotted a security guard in front of a waiting area. He asked if I was there to renew my passport, and after I said yes gave me a mask and passed me off to another security guard who showed me my seat inside.
After sitting down, I counted the seats and saw I was about 16th in line.
Inside, there’s a few different seating areas. On the left, there’s an area meant for those with appointments, with nice grey chairs.
The rest of the room is divided into a few other sections. There’s the larger seating area with about 60 seats on the right, which I noticed was for the first (document check) line-up. There were also a few rows of chairs which were later used for those who had their documents checked, and were ready to be brought into the main Service Canada Passport Service area.
In terms of the flow of people, here’s what I noted down…
- I arrived at 6:55am, but by 7:15am there were still only two people after me
- I overheard that the first guy in line came at 4:40am, and the second person at 5:30am
At 7:30am, a few members of Service Canada staff came in and said we would be sorted according to application type and travel date. We were then called up to a desk at the front in small groups to check that we had all the documents necessary for our passport renewals.
Those who were successfully checked were given a ticket, and then sorted into separate seating areas (I assume depending on their priority order).
By 7:45am, I had my documents checked, and a blue ticket, which put me 8th in line for the seating area I was assigned to.
By 7:50am, everyone was already in line for the document check, with nobody in that first seated waiting area, so they do get through people quite quickly. I did notice some people got turned away for not having the right documents or passport photos though, so make sure you bring everything you need.
By 8am, everyone’s documents were checked and everyone had been sorted into their second line-ups.
At 8:30am, all the people in the appointments line were moved out of the room, then my line of people were called in right after. Turns out I was in the first group of people to be sent in, so we weren’t even given waiting numbers, we simply walked into the Service Canada Passport Office, and were assigned to agents right away.
When you get called up to an agent’s desk, they go through your application, make sure everything is in order, then take some time to prepare your application for processing (inputting your details into the system, putting your passport photos in an envelope, etc.)
They will then ask if you want the passport mailed to you, or if you want to pick it up in person for an additional fee ($20 in my case). I opted to pick it up as I felt this would be more of a ‘sure thing’. I paid with my credit card ($180 for a 10 year passport, plus the pickup fee), and then I was given a pick-up time for exactly 2 weeks.
The Service Canada agent then gave me my old passport back (with some holes stamped in it), along with a receipt for the pick-up, which he said would only take five minutes as it was a different line-up.
By 9am, I was all done! Rejoice!
Additional Tips for Renewing Your Passport in Vancouver (in Person)
Triple check you have the full application and have signed both pages
I was really surprised to overhear that a lot of people who arrived early had filled their forms out incorrectly, hadn’t brought the application at all, or didn’t have passport photos. The key to getting through your renewal process easily is having everything ready, so make sure you have the full application completely signed and filled out.
Bring a pen
You never know when you might spot something you missed or might need correcting. I for instance realized I forgot to sign a tiny box with “applicant signature” (in the emergency contact box) and didn’t have a pen to correct it!
Luckily, it was an easy fix once I got to the front of the line, but still, bring a pen for ease of mind.
Bring coffee, water, and snacks
Food and drinks are fine, so bring your own sustenance – there are no vending machines nearby.
Going by Skytrain? Use the shortcut to Sinclair Centre
From Waterfront Skytrain Station, you can actually walk right into Sinclair Centre through a random hallway.
Here’s how: from the Expo/Millennium line platform, head in the direction of the Northwest exit (towards Canada Place) but turn left after the fare gates, following the signs for Sinclair Centre. Proceed down the hall and through the two sets of doors, and you’ll be in!
Avoid Fridays
It wasn’t too busy on the Friday I went, but I overheard an employee say that usually Fridays are crazy, so aim for Monday – Thursday if you want to minimize your wait.
Book a refundable ticket to unlock urgent/express processing
If you want to expedite your passport for urgent priority (next business day) or express priority (2-9 business days) priority then you need proof of a travel date within those time frames, so consider booking a refundable bus ticket out of the country to qualify.
NOTE: You will still need to pay an extra fee for these priority processing times. Just know that you can’t simply offer to pay extra and get it processed faster – you also need proof that you need your passport urgently.
Use the washroom before your visit
There aren’t any in the waiting area (but don’t worry, there are some in Sinclair Centre – you just need to leave the waiting area and come back in).
We hope this guide to renewing your passport in Vancouver was helpful!
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions.