For Immediate Release September 4, 2008
New Passport Receiving Offices in Souris-Moose Mountain
Estevan (September 4, 2008)—Residents of Souris-Moose Mountain will have a new way they can apply for a passport. The Estevan Service Canada Centre will be a passport receiving office effective immediately and the Weyburn Service Canada Centre will be open to receive passport applications at a date to be announced. Ed Komarnicki, Member of Parliament for Souris-Moose Mountain, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“Our government is working to improve the services we provide to Canadians,” said Komarnicki. “We are pleased to offer additional passport receiving sites here in Saskatchewan that include the Estevan and Weyburn Service Canada offices, making it more convenient for people to submit their passport applications in person at the same place they go for other government services.”
With passports being required for land travel into the United States commencing June 1, 2009, it is most convenient to have passport receiving offices in Estevan and Weyburn. Service Canada agents review passport applications to ensure accuracy and completeness, collect the fee along with the original identification documents (birth or citizenship certificates), and forward them to Passport Canada for review and processing. The final decision on passport entitlement remains with Passport Canada. Passport Canada then delivers the passport to the applicant by courier, along with the original identification documents. Urgent applications, requests for modifications, complex child applications or applications without a guarantor’s signature (except in the case of passport renewal) must still be submitted in person to a Passport Canada office.
The Government has also simplified the passport application process by allowing Canadian citizens to renew their expiring passports without having to resubmit documents to support their application. On October 1, 2007, Passport Canada also introduced its new guarantor policy, which allows most adult Canadian passport holders residing in Canada or the United States to act as guarantors.
Starting June 1, 2009, a U.S. law will require Canadians to present a valid passport to enter the United States by water or land. U.S. law already requires Canadians to present a valid passport to enter the U.S. by air. Apply for your passport today to ensure you have it when you need it. Remember, the passport is the recommended travel and identification document for all Canadian travellers.
If any constituents have any passport issues, I would ask them to call my Estevan office toll free at 1- 866-249-4697 or (306) 634-3000.
For more information on the passport process, visit www.passportcanada.gc.ca. For more information about Service Canada’s role in helping Canadians obtain a passport, and the conditions under which citizens can use receiving agent services, call 1 800 O-Canada, go to www.servicecanada.gc.ca, or visit the Estevan or Weyburn Service Canada Centres.
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New Service Canada Passport Receiving Site
Location: Estevan
1314 3rd Street Monday to Friday
Estevan, Saskatchewan S4A2V6
8:30 am to 4:15 pm
Location: Weyburn
Details To Be Announced
