Passport snafu involves Canadians from coast to coast

[Widow]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story ... ml?ref=rss

RCMP are investigating a passport mix-up that involves a teenager from Manitoba and people in Halifax and Vancouver.

Laura Harrison, who lives in Lac du Bonnet, Man., northeast of Winnipeg, received a package in the mail this week that she expected would contain her teenage daughter's passport.

But inside the package, she found the passport, identification and other material belonging to a person who lives in Vancouver.

Harrison found the passport's proper holder on the social-networking website Facebook and sent her a message.

"I went on Facebook to tell this girl what happened — I got her stuff in my mail — and then when she replied back, she says, 'Oh my gosh,' she says, 'I got someone else's too, some man's passport.'"

"The same day, my daughter went on her Facebook, and then some girl e-mailed her and says she has her passport in Halifax."

Harrison worries about what is happening with her daughter's personal information.

"They're going on about this security stuff … and this is so confidential," she says. "It goes in someone else's hands, you know, some kind of criminal, they [could] take your identity or something."

Passport officials told Harrison to mail the package they received back to the office by Express Post.

But Harrison's husband took the package to the RCMP, which is investigating, she said.

Her daughter has still not received her proper passport, which was ordered in December in preparation for a trip in March, Harrison said.

I don't know about you guys, but I find this a little disconcerting.

[Dust Devil]

Bound to happen with the number of passports that get sent out. Still not cool though but I wouldn't sweat it too much

[dangerous]

What's the average wait time for passports these days if you drop all the documents off in person? Do they let you keep your old passport if it's still valid for a few months?

[Cat Driver]

Do they let you keep your old passport if it's still valid for a few months?

Yes, but they punch holes in it to void it.

[Dust Devil]

I just went in today. I was in the office for 30 min and was told to pick my passport up on Friday. I paid $30 extra to have it expidited. You also need to bring in proof of travel to get it expidited. Not sure if they let you keep your old passport though. I would imagine they would then have you surrender it when you pick up your new one.

[Pile-it]

I'd sweat it if it was my passport. Flew with a guy who had his stolen in the states. Thief musta been some nasty mofo, 'cause crossing the border was a royal pain in the ass. This was pre 911, hate to see what would happen now...