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Captain Corea

Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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I emailed the embassy and am holding my breath while I awai their reply. |
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Skippy

Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Daejeon
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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If you are going to be in Korea a while you will want to make friends with someone who can be your guarantor. I spent 5 days of precious vacation time last year organzining my ingfo and signatures to get my passport renewed. Have you tried for for IN LIEU OF GUARANTOR. All you need is 4 people who know you (besides family), more details aka addresses and employers for 4 years rather than 2 years, and more money. |
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Captain Corea

Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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1. I've lived in Korea for about 9 years and have never felt the need to seek out police officers and mayors as friends in case, one day, theCanadian government decides to get anal.
2. I requested that document and they told me to go out and think some more (and find someone).
The point of this post is a warning - it wasn't this hard before, and they told me they are clamping down recently (for whatever reason). |
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Skippy

Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Daejeon
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:03 am Post subject: |
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believe me - Canada is one of the most anal when it comes to passports - surprise even more so then the Americans My girlfriends renewal for an Australian for another 10 years was so easy she did not even have to leave the city or the apartment - she did it all by mail.
I mean most people can befriend at least one doctor/dentist or one lawyer to be helpful.
Hmm |
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BURNBURNRUBBER
Joined: 03 May 2010
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:27 am Post subject: |
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i'm not looking forward to this...
thanks for the info. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010 Location: Victoria, Canada.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:40 am Post subject: |
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I continue to use the same dentist for years. He was my guarantor.
Every 5 years is a joke though; just a cash grab. Many countries are 10 years. |
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ttompatz

Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:41 am Post subject: |
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I am surprised as well.
I renewed my (and my daughter's) passport this year (and our previous passports were issued in Korea) and I was allowed to do the Form PPT 132, "Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor".
http://passport.gc.ca/support/faq.aspx?lang=eng&id=04423
What should I do if I do not know an eligible guarantor?
An applicant who is unable to obtain the signature of an eligible guarantor is required to complete Form PPT 132, "Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor". This form must be completed and signed before a Commissioner for Oaths, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace or another official who is qualified to administer the oath. In this instance, it is not necessary for the official to know the applicant personally.
The form is available from any Passport Canada office or by contacting our call center.
The consul is acceptable for administering the oath.
Typical of the Canadian Embassy in Korea - SHITONASTICK and not worth the time of day - Mr. Ambassador, YOUR ADMINISTRATION IS CRAP.
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Dysupes

Joined: 24 May 2005
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:43 am Post subject: |
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Just a question:
Must the guarantor be a Canadian or can anyone who fulfills the occupational requirements be a guarantor? |
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WadRUG'naDoo
Joined: 15 Jun 2010 Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:02 am Post subject: |
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Dysupes wrote: |
Just a question:
Must the guarantor be a Canadian or can anyone who fulfills the occupational requirements be a guarantor? |
The guarantor must be someone residing in Korea that's known you for at least 2 years. Nationality doesn't matter.
Really, though, if you haven't known the guarantor for 2 years, what the embassy doesn't know won't hurt you. Just lie.
I've had to replace my passport twice while in Korea. The first time, it was close to expiring. That was back in November 2007 and I used the "in lieu of guarantor" and it cost me more. The last time (April/May this year), I had to replace it because the Chinese embassy wouldn't accept it due it being damaged (I'm in China now). And the "in lieu of guarantor" thing was no longer an option. Maybe. I think I could've argued with them and won. No way I'd let a Korean tell me I can't get my passport. No friggin' way. But I lucked out. My friend happened to be in Korea and is a notary public in the US (not currently working as one, but had the certificate - his mother sent it by e-mail and I brought it to the embassy).
When I brought this in, they were trying to tell me that the guarantor must be working as a notrary public in Korea. Nowhere on the application does it say that and I put up a fuss. They told me to wait and a CANADIAN came down from upstairs and told me that it was OK.
I was happy because I thought I was saving money by having a guarantor (just cost for the passport = 110,000). But since I had to sign something declaring my passport was damaged and an officer had to sign the same paper, it cost me an extra 55,000. What a crock.
Funny thing about the whole deal is I went in and filled out the application trying to remember all the addresses and employers/employers' addresses/phone numbers I had in the last 2 years and filled the form out to the best of my abilities. They were giving me a little bit of a hard time because some things didn't match/couldn't remember some details, etc. Finally the agent said "Just write unemployed" in one area of the form because I couldn't remember something. So my application form was a bit of a mess and I had to fill out another form for having more than 2 or 3 addresses in the last 2 years. We worked it all out and I got my passport in 2 weeks. |
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Seoulio

Joined: 02 Jan 2010
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:39 am Post subject: |
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I thought you only needed a guarantor to GET get a passport, not renew one.
Also Can you not fly HOME to Canada on an expired passport? i thought I read somewhere that if your passport expires its no problem getting home, you just cant go anywhere else except home |
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diver
Joined: 16 Jun 2003
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:40 am Post subject: |
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When I hear "Canadian Embassy", I think "service".
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009 Location: Canada
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:46 am Post subject: |
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I got sparkled by them today.
Their working hours have been further cut. 9-11 am, M-F. 2 hours a day. Also, I heard (not confirmed) that at 11 am, people waiting in line are told to come back the next day.
I will be mailing my PM about this. |
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ttompatz

Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 2:31 am Post subject: |
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diver wrote: |
When I hear "Canadian Embassy", I think "service".
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ROTFLMAO...
Service is the one thing you can rest assured that you will NEVER get from the Canadian embassy in Seoul.
It was bad when they were in the Kolon building and it is 10x worse now that they have their own digs.
Front line staff border on being some of the rudest I have ever met anywhere on the planet and that includes the staff in every third world embassy/consulate I have ever been to as well.
The staff behaviours and the level of service at the Canadian embassy make me ashamed to call myself Canadian especially when I have had the misfortune to have to answer to my friends and co-workers about the Embassy staff and their behavior here after my friends have had the misfortune of dealing with the Canadian embassy.
That goes for the consular section as well as the visa section.
The Canadian Embassy in Seoul Korea - an embarrassment to us all.
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Leonidas

Joined: 24 Nov 2007
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 3:12 am Post subject: |
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ttompatz wrote: |
The Canadian Embassy in Seoul Korea - an embarrassment to us all. |
Amen brother |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 4:38 am Post subject: |
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Just for balance, I've renewed my passport twice here & in both instances the staff were civil & helpful.
First time they even set up an afterhours appointment for me so I wouldnt have to miss work. Maybe things have changed.
I used the "in lieu of guarantor" option both times, it just seemed simpler than importuning friends. But it seems like more hoops is the order of the day with many govt agencies these days. |
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