Please sign in to post.
Holiday Sale! Save 20% Storewide!

Canadian passport strike April 2023

Posted by (Toronto) on

We've been confirmed for Rick's "Loire to South of France" trip starting on September 4. We mailed our Canadian passport applications on April 11 (I am posting on April 19). Our current passports are set to expire in January 2024. The civil servants who make passports are going on strike today. I am 85% confident that the strike action will be resolved in time for us to travel.

Given that there are mostly unknowables in play here, I still want to ask a few questions:

  1. How far can I get in the Rick Steves process without a renewed passport?

  2. Do we need renewed passports to book flights, etc.? (The last time we travelled was pre-covid and I can't remember.)

  3. Is there anything else that might be affected by a delay in our getting passports?

I welcome either consoling or practical comments. Please keep speculation to a minimum. Thanks.

Posted by
4656 posts

Fellow Ontarian here. Are you flying directly to France? For Canadians traveling to France, a few sources state 'the traveller's passport must remain valid for 3 months after leaving France". So, you should be able to buy your flights, insurance, and it should not affect your tour plans, as French requirements for US passport holders is the same time frame.
Here is the website for wait times https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/processing-times.html
The only flaw in the ointment is if you sent your valid passport with the renewal application. (As mine is a 10 year, it has been a long time since I renewed...and I do it in person). Let's hope the office recieved your mailed application in the last 8 days.
You know the strike won't be that long, and historically, the worst timeline was 80 business days, and that was for new applications ( and rare). This year's stats are less that 20 days for 95% of applicants. I know it is tough to have a passport in limbo, but breathe, and move ahead as per normal....or at least that is what I would do.

Posted by
10189 posts

How far can I get in the Rick Steves process without a renewed passport?

You could ask the office, but I don't know that the Rick Steves organization needs your passport info at all.

Do we need renewed passports to book flights, etc.? (The last time we travelled was pre-covid and I can't remember.)

No.

Is there anything else that might be affected by a delay in our getting passports?

I think you will be fine. You need the passport to check in for your flight on September 1 or 2 (whatever the day is prior to the day you fly).

Posted by
11875 posts

If you are booking an RS tour they do ask for your passport info and if the expiration is not more than 6 months post tour you get a reminder to update your passport. It does not prevent you from booking a tour.

Posted by
2252 posts

Joe is correct. I had this happen to me for my tour the end of May. There will be a reminder in your account that your passport needs renewing if it does. As soon as I got my renewed passport, I just entered the new information in my tour account and the reminder disappeared.

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks MariaF.
Yes, we did send in our old passports. (Of course!)

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.