Time to renew? There’s a passport fair Saturday.
If you need to renew your passport or obtain one, the U.S. Postal Service is holding a Passport Fair at the West Palm Beach main post office, 3200 Summit Boulevard Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
A state department official said recently there could be a “passport crisis” on the way as a huge surge of applications is expected, and it might take longer to process passport requests.
That’s because almost 10 years ago the U.S. changed requirements for travel within the Western Hemisphere and began requiring a passport for air travel to and from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Now the millions of people who applied for passports in 2007 will need to renew, Cox Media Group’s National Content Desk reports.
Applications actually surged from 12.1 million in 2006 to 18.6 million the next year. And since passports are valid for 10 years, all those extra documents will expire at the same time, too.
In large part because of the renewals, government officials anticipate a surge in applications starting around New Year — as many as 16 million in 2016 and 20 million the next year.
You can renew six months or even a year before your passport expires, to avoid the waiting game. Otherwise, be prepared to to wait as long as 10 weeks for an application to go through.
Here’s what you need to do to prepare before going to the passport fair:
Print a completed application (form is available at usps.com/passport; but do not sign it until the passport clerk instructs you to do so). Remember that everyone, including newborn infants, is required to obtain a passport in his or her own name. For children under age 16, the consent of both parents/ guardians is required.
Bring with you:
- Proof of identity (a valid permanent state driver’s license, a government ID or military ID, previous passport, Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization Certificate)
- Proof of U.S. citizenship (previous passport, original or certified birth certificate issued from the state with a raised, embossed, impressed, or multi-colored seal and the registrar’s signature and date of certificate filing)
- Two official passport photos (available at the Passport Fair for $15)
- Social Security Number
The U.S. Department of State fees vary according to age and type. The fee must be made by money order, check, bank draft, or cashier’s check made payable to the U.S. Department of State; debit and credit card payment is not available.
The Passport Book fee for under age 16 is $80; for age 16 and older is $110. The Passport Card fee for under age 16 is $15, and for age 16 and older is $30. In addition, all acceptance agencies, including the Postal Service, charge a processing fee of $25 per application. A debit or credit card may be used in addition to cash, money order, or check made payable to the Postal Service.
