We survived and even though it was an hour, patience is still intact! Only challenge to that was one particular family who was about to lose it with very helpful (not sarcasm) employee for no apparent reason.
An hour?! Eek. It took me 10 min and would've been less if I'd had correct pics (had mine done in Oct but they changed the glasses rule in Nov. Oops. Should've made the appt sooner but I just kept forgetting lol.) Anyway, I guess I got lucky. And as far as losing it with a helpful employee? Not cool. Also, not helpful--why anger the person who's paid to help you???
If I would have been renewing mine as an adult next week, it would have been much quicker. But with school out, it was pretty much all families trying to either get or renew minor passports which have to be done in person. I don't get losing it with the postal worker either... he was really efficient, happy and chatty (kind of the opposite of what I expected).
How interesting that you have to do passport stuff at a post office. Do your post offices do more different things then just post and packages? Also, waiting for so long?! Omg that is incredible. I've heard about long waits like that at post offices in the USA before, is that normal?
Here, if we go to the post office we are in and out within 5 minutes when it's busy. But it's only for post and packages. Also we do passport stuff at our city hall and we need to make an appointment (which you can make online or there) and then you would be in and out in 10 minutes tops.
I always find these differences so interesting.
In Canada kids and adults can apply & renew by mail. For me, the major pain is lining up to get a new provincial health card or driver's license photo. It's a tiny office and everyone in front of you in line didn't fill out their form properly, so they all take extra long.
@berniek I think there are other places you can do your passport, but I've always gone to the post office since it's within walking distance from our house. The passport hours are much shorter than the regular post office hours though. Today they ended at 3:00pm.
The line for people mailing stuff was really long today as well. I bet it was 15 or more people long when we left. I think post offices here are notoriously understaffed. There was one passport agent and only two open windows for those mailing things. I'm not sure what else you can do at the post office besides mailing and passports... I think you can get money orders too.
@Juliestcyr That's great that kids can apply and renew by mail! Children have to appear with both parents (or with additional paperwork if only one can come) to apply and renew until age 16 (strange age since everything else here is 18). After 16, they have to appear in person to get their passport and after that they can renew by mail.
I don't entirely understand it all... the guy was trying to explain it all to me today. Until 16 they're somehow attached to the parents' passports, after 16 they're on their own which is why they have to do it in person one more time (almost like a new passport, I guess).
Our driver's license place (DMV) had gatekeepers of sorts that rejected everyone without proper paperwork right off the bat before they got too far. That way everyone who got to a "real" line had everything ready to go. Still took forever though.
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