Kelowna resident has passport stuck in Ottawa, can't get it back

A Kelowna local is speaking out to share her experience with Canadian passport services after a frustrating incident which has left her with no passport, and no means to get it back anytime soon.

Knowing local passport offices weren't open due to COVID-19, and having checked the website for any updates, Tianna Rast mailed her passport to Ottawa at the end of June to get it renewed.

Little did she know, it would end up sitting in a mailroom, unable to be processed and unable to be sent back.

"I submitted it and it was about three weeks time and I hadn’t heard anything. I was like that’s kind of weird, they said 10 business days. So I sent in an inquiry and they said, "actually we’re not renewing passports right now."

"I was just floored, because I was like why wasn’t this on the website, why don’t people know about this, why hasn’t someone told me this?"

The 24-year-old got up at 6 a.m. and spoke to a representative in Ottawa to discuss the restrictions, which are now listed on the government website, but according to Rast, weren't at the time. 

"I just can’t believe it wasn’t listed up on the website somewhere - just to let us know you can’t get your passport renewed right now.

"Obviously he was sorry and it’s not his fault that my passport is stuck there, but he was just like, “yep, the only thing I can do is email in to the office and ask them to return your passport." But I’m like, there’s nobody there? He’s like, yeah, there’s nobody there, so your passport’s in the mailing room in Ontario." 

One of the main reasons Rast wants to travel once restrictions are lifted is to visit her boyfriend, who lives in the Netherlands where they’ve implemented a ’sweetheart visa’ for couples doing long-distance.

Based on similar regulations in countries like Denmark and Austria, the visa applies to short-term visits of less than 90 days for couples who can prove they have been dating for three months or more. 

The couple, who met in Bali in 2019 and have visited their respective countries, have now been together for nine months. 

"I mean obviously he’s extremely frustrated," says Rast.

"In the Netherlands right now they’re opening things a little bit more and I think all across Europe we see that, Iceland opened up for tourism. Obviously every country can do everything differently - I’m not trying to say we should copy them or anything - but it’s nice to see that everyone’s trying to take different approaches.

"Love is essential. They’re not asking for tourism to be open again, they’re just like hey, I have someone who lives in that country that I’m connected with and I want to be able to see them."

Rast says she would adhere to all quarantine requirements, both in Netherlands and in Canada upon her return, but won't have the opportunity to travel until she can regain access to her passport. 

Had she known about the restrictions, Rast says she would have held onto her passport and waited until local offices reopened.

She's worried once services resume, the backlog will be so significant, it will take much longer than usual to get her passport returned to Kelowna, let alone renewed.

"I don’t see why they can’t continue on with the service especially now that we’re almost in August and we should be going back to regular lives. They’re going to have a pile up of so many passports to do if they keep this up."

Rast also believes the decision to not restart passport services for all residents contradicts provincial and federal government's reopening plans for the rest of society.

"I feel like they’ve encouraged us to open up businesses. They’ve encouraged us to open up clinics with distancing, and encouraged us to go into Phase 3 and live with this virus, and I feel like they’re contradicting themselves by not doing that themselves with their own passport services that they offer to people."

Rast has reached out to MP Tracy Gray, who has lodged an inquiry to the passport office on her behalf. 

As of July 30, the Government of Canada website states residents can only get passport or travel document services if you have a valid reason to travel urgently. 

Valid urgent travel reasons include if you're travelling: 

• for a medical reason because you have a serious illness
• because of the serious illness or death of someone you have a relationship with
• because you’ll have financial problems from the loss of a job or business
• to support an essential service
• for humanitarian reasons (requires a letter from your organization) 

For updates on passport services, visit the Government of Canada website.