More drama on our vacation. We booked the rental house in June and at that time, I asked everyone to check their passports to make sure they are still valid. Everyone said they were good, so I didn't push the issue.
Yesterday, I checked Oma's passport and Thom's and Oma's expires soon and Thom's is already expired. No problem. I took Oma today to get her passport photos taken and I printed out the form and filled it out with her and I will take her next week to submit it. Since her passport was issued less than 6 years ago, she can go through the simplified renewal process - awesome.
Thom on the other hand, his passport expired in September 2008, so he will have to apply for a new one instead of the simplified renewal process. His passport was issued in September 2003, so if he had renewed his passport a month ago (or in June when I told everyone to check their passports!), he would have still been within the window of being able to do the simplified renewal. Fine. I printed off the longer application and was filling it out with him and he needs 2 documents as proof of identity and the only 2 on the list that he would have are driver's license and health card. Well, I asked him for these 2 documents, he handed me his driver's license and a little piece of paper with his health card number on it and our conversation went like this:
Me: What is this? Where is your health card?
Thom: I don't have a health card; I never have. This is all I have.
Me: You MUST have a health card. What do you show when you go to the doctor?
Thom: They never ask for it.
Mom looked in her files and he got a letter saying he had to renew his health card immediately, but there is no date on that, so it could be years old. I phoned right away and I got him an appointment for tomorrow morning. I am taking him down there to make sure it gets done and to ask them if they could rush it since we need that in order to apply for his passport. I will also ask if we could use his temporary one that he will get to apply for a passport.
What a pain! I am starting to feel like if I didn't push everyone, it would only be me, Carlos, and Julie going to Florida. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing, I suppose... but so not the point! This is supposed to be a family vacation and nobody seems to be putting in the effort to get their travel documents in order!
5 comments:
Here, have a shot of virtual tequila. *hands over shot*
Oy, what an ordeal. I still have to renew my passport actually (although I've already gotten my photos taken). Good reminder! LOL
Does Thom have a birth certificate? When I got my passport, I used my driver's license and my birth certificate.
Thanks for the shot! I needed that!!!
Yes, he has a birth certificate, which he will need to prove his citizenship, but that is not on the list for documents to confirm your identity. Driver's license and health card are the only 2 he would have.
I took him to get a new health card this morning and it will arrive in 2 weeks, so that's great! I told him to get his photos taken within the next 2 weeks and I will complete his application form, so that as soon as his health card arrives, we can go to apply for his passport.
Ok, I'm glad you guys got that sorted!
Actually, come to think of it, I might have used my health card as well. I have one of the old school ones (orange and white, no picture).
Do they really not let you use your SIN card as proof either?
How did the meeting with your boss go today?
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