Canadian Passport Lines Differ Across The Country & You Can Check Where The Longest Are

If you're among the many people struggling to renew your Canadian passport ahead of summer travel, the Service Canada location you visit could make a big difference.

It's no secret that Service Canada offices across the country have been struggling with a huge backlog when it comes to Canadian passport applications and renewals.

With travel very much back in the cards and numerous people planning their vacations, the federal government has introduced new measures to reduce delays.

Even so, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould just shared an update admitting that "passport services are not yet back to normal."

"But we continue to see improvements at passport offices across the country," she said. "The team at Service Canada is 100% engaged in getting them there as soon as possible."

She also added that the length of lineups at passport offices in Canada can "fluctuate," depending on the location.

Apparently, offices in bigger cities have been seeing larger queues, although Gould says that "in all cases, citizens are being seen and provided appointments either the same day or another date ahead of their travel."

According to her statement, lineups at smaller cities are "not substantially longer than they have been in previous years" and "Canadians are served as usual the day they visit."

This includes passport offices across Atlantic Canada. Which means queues in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador are almost back to pre-pandemic days.

"In our offices in the province of Québec, we are seeing lineups well below the levels seen in recent weeks," Gould added.

A new feature on the government's website allows people to see the estimated wait times at many Service Canada passport offices within the country.

For example, on Wednesday afternoon the wait time in Montreal was 3 hours, Vancouver was 2 hours 45 minutes and Scarborough was 4 hours and 30 minutes.

In contrast, Winnipeg had a 15 minute wait time and Edmonton had a 45 minute queue.

However, these estimated timings are ever-changing so it's worth taking a look at locations near you to be as prepared as possible for the visit.

"Service Canada is closely monitoring lineups in all locations daily," Gould said. "Wherever it is needed, the teams are deploying staff to manage those lineups and give people more certainty."

The feds say it's "always best to make sure you have your passport in hand before booking international travel," to avoid any stressful situations when waiting for passport services.

Recently, a TikToker went viral for flying from B.C. to Edmonton just to get her passport renewed after she spotted a last-minute appointment online. There have also been advertisements around Canada for "freelance line standers" with people being paid to wait for others in lines.

Here's hoping the passport application process streamlines soon, so there's no need to take such drastic action!

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.