Passport Canada

I’m thoroughly impressed.
Long gone are those days where you have to line up at the door before the office is open, and then be prepared to wait an hour or two to get your passport. I just came back from renewing my passport for 10 years and the process took less than 10 minutes (at 9:50am). I walked in, spoke with the security, got directed to line two, got prescreened very quickly, and then waited maybe five minutes to be called up to a window where I might’ve spent two minutes or so to finish up. This new process is awesome!

The lady I got was insensitive and rude and she absolutely seemed miserable. The one that was processing the whole thing. The greeter and the first person was awesome… It was the last person I had to see that ruined the whole experience …

Literally it took me only 10 minutes to submit my simplified passport renewal.
There was nobody in the pre-​screen line at 9am on a Wednesday morning.
Pre-​screen took 1 minute. Got my number. Sat down. My number was the next one up!
1 minute later, number got called.
Got up, and went through the renewal process. Very friendly guy behind the desk.
He mentioned that because my application was marked «QAP» (Quality Assurance Process?) and it would be processed even faster than the usual 10 working days. Fantastic!
And a 10-​year passport too… phenomenal! 10 minutes for 10 years of travel freedom!
Way to go Passport Canada — Calgary!

Incredibly fast and efficient. There was a line up outside when I got there at 7:20 (they open at 7:30). I hadn’t filled out my renewal application and inside of 30 mins filled it out, saw someone and renewal was done. Well done Harry Hayes Passport Office. Thanks

I’m impressed at how the government office has made things more efficient. The paperwork is something I’ve never enjoyed doing but once all the ducks are in a row, its just waiting a bit to get the passport.
I didn’t like how they sent me home 3 times because each time they found something wrong; they could have told me everything from the first visit — you think?!?
Yay! picked up the daughers passport today! Apart from them charging me $ 20 to pick up — which I don’t recommend, because they’ll mail it to you anyway, it was speedy.
Note to self: regular service is just fine, rush service is a waste of money; just do things earlier.

How funny to be reviewing a government service, but honestly, they deserve ALL the stars! I always anticipate the worst when coming to places like this, but it was incredibly efficient. The staff were pleasant, the location organized and I was in and out of there in less than 20 minutes… and this was AFTER 4pm! If you want to get your business done quickly, come to this passport office!

Super good service today, and i was in & out in under 45 minutes, and the lady who helped me was really friendly and nice!
Renewed my passport, and renewed my faith in the passport office, cuz last time i was there for about 2 hours!

In and out in 15 minutes, not kidding! I got there at 11:40 and was out by 11:55.
I was dreading having to renew my passport as I remember it being a painful process. I had gone ahead and printed out the form and had it all filled in, so when I got there I was sent to line 2, which had no line, she checked my docs and gave me a number.
They now have 22 booths! I was called up within 5 minutes, looked over everything, had to resign my signature touched the box, paid and left.
Seamless process. Def recommended as the location to go to.

Well, that was easy! (no copyright infringement intended Staples)
Seriously though, I came in to get my Passport and thought I might be in for at least an hour wait… Try again, it was only 15 minutes and the staff were nice, polite and efficient.
I did go around 11AM on a weekday so I am not sure how the flow would be at busier times but there wasn’t even a line when I showed up.
Good on you Passport Canada!

I was here today around 11:20am. I was directed to Line 2 for my passport renewal. There were 2 ladies ahead of me. It only took a couple minutes before I was next up to the counter. The lady looked over my application then handed me a number and I went to sit down. In a couple minutes my number was flashing up on the board and I headed over to the next counter.
The guy who helped me was cold and didn’t crack a smile. But he approved my application and said my passport would be ready in 10 days. For an extra $ 10 I could pick it up. Otherwise they mail it to you.
It sucks that I had to renew my passport before July 1^st when they bring in the 10 year passports. If you can wait, I suggest you do so. There’s no cost savings but it does save you a trip to the Harry Hayes building.
The best time to go is between 9 – 11 am. Any sooner and they only have 2 people working. Of course lunch hour will be busy too.

5 Stars for a government office? A PASSPORT office no less??? Who knew that was even possible.
But it is. My passport was expiring and I needed a new one. It was also a little water damaged. After much procrastinating I decided to start my Monday morning out by going to the Passport Office to submit my documents.
I got there around 7:45, 8AM. They’ve moved the location around since I was last there so I had to look for it but found it with little effort. It is clean and new inside. Still looks bureaucratic but in a calming kind of way. I went through the various gate keepers (security guy, pre-​screening lady). The pre-​screening lady decided to give me an extra form just to be on the safe side because of the slight damage (so I wouldn’t be kicked out of line later). Appreciated!
You then have to go sit and wait for your number to be called/​put up on the flashing screen. I think I sat for all of 10 minutes before being called up. They have a fair number of people working and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. A man processed my application. He was thorough (this is an important doc after all) but had a sense of humour. After a brief lecture on keeping my future passport dry and paying $ 87 I was out the door, smiling. I don’t remember ever smiling after leaving a government office before. Win.

I was really stressing out about how long it was going to take me to get my passport, as I had upcoming travel plans. Upon doing a little research I found that there are 3 – 4 locations in the city that applications can be processed, but I’m VERY glad I made the little extra trip to go to this location.
Firstly, I would recommend weekday afternoons. A coworker of mine went after work and it was slammed, he had to wait quite a bit longer. Personnally I went at 3:30 on a Tuesday and I walked right up to the «preliminary screening» desk (where they check to make sure you have everything you need, put it in the order they like to have it and give you a number) without a line up. I then sat in the main waiting area for about 10 – 15 minutes before being called up to see the passport agent. This is where the Harry Hays passport office sets itself apart from the other locations. As it was explained to me, the applications that go to the other offices get sent here anyway, and sit in a pile waiting for one of the agents to get to them… but by coming down here you take it right up to the agent themselves, skipping not just the time in the mail, but the waiting time as well.
The agent I saw asked me some security screening questions that apparently allowed them to skip the process of calling my references as well. He typed a few things in and 10 minutes later I was leaving with a reassurance that I should have my passport within «a couple of weeks»… but it was even better than that! As said, I applied on Thursday afternoon — the following Wednesday afternoon, it was sitting in my mail box. (Of course, I assume wait times vary, but I was very impressed.)
Long story short, that was the best time on the train I ever spent, and will always recommend this to anybody else looking to get or renew theirs.

Getting a passport can be quite a difficult thing if you do not have the essential materials needed but if you have the normal identification, birth certificate and photos etc, it should just be a breeze.
Make sure you come with all documents that are requested otherwise you will have to make two or three trips. It is a common sense application so don’t make your life too difficult; read the requirements properly so you don’t waste your time.
Once you have everything in order, it is basically a quick jaunt to the Government building near the YWCA. You need payment for your passport and you then come back after they have sent you notice that your application has been approved.
The line ups can be a bit crazy so make sure you come in the morning and not during a lunch rush. My passport was processed with ease and I was able to pick it up within two weeks.