How exactly do i get a passport?

How can I get a passport?

• I'm 13 and my passport recently expired. My mom has not been legally divorced from my dad, she is separate and I have been living with her full time for about 10-11 years. My mom doesn't have legal custody therefore in order to get a passport it will need approval from both parents. My mother had asked him to do so via e-mail but he doesn't have any intention of doing such thing. He probably has a rational fear that we will run away out side of Canada. I asked my mom what she could do to get a passport but she insures me she really can't do anything without permission from my father or until I am 18 years old. I really do not want to have to spend every summer and Christmas in Ontario while I can go travel to Florida, Hawaii etc. Is there anything we can do to renew my passport without the permission of my father or some way of forcing him in approval? I live in Ontario, Canada and I am 13 years old. If anyone knows if the government might be able to help in any way would be really appreciative since I really want to go to a skiing trip in New York with my school in the next couple of months! This would not be possible without a passport sadly. [I haven't even seen my father since I was around 2-3 years old] I want to renew my old Canadian passport as I am a legal canadian citizen as well as my mother and father.

• Answer:

  If you have not seen your father for ten years, then it would probably be a pretty simple matter for your mother to get Full and exclusive custody of you, which is all that is necessary for her to get you a passport. She has to go to court and ask the court to give her that custody, and if your father wants to argue against it he will have to hire a lawyer and/or show up in person. He seems to be unwilling to help you out but seems even more unwilling to get involved, so my best guess is that he won't show or contest. I suppose she could ask the court to give her the power to apply for a passport without your father's consent, to give her custody for that purpose only. It does seem to methat a court would be sympathetic to this request. The other alternative is that you personally talk to your dad and try to understand why he won't agree to help you get a passport. If he is afraid your mom will run away with you (which doesn't make much sense if you haven't seen him in ten years) you may be able to get him to feel differently. You could promise him that you will remain in contact no matter where you go, for example. All in all it does seem as if both your mom and your dad are letting you down in terms of doing things for you and I wonder if there isn't more to this story than you've said -- or perhaps, more than you've been told.