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EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Passengers headed to or from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or non-U.S. Caribbean
islands must have a passport, not just proof of an application. The State
Department temporarily lifted its requirement on passports in June after falling
behind in processing applications. That grace period has ended, you must be sure
to have the required documents to travel to foreign countries.
US State Dept - April 2, 2007
The Department of State has committed additional resources and personnel to
meet Americans' unprecedented demand for passports. Passport production has hit
record highs as the Department works diligently to honor its mission and ensure
that every citizen gets a passport in time for planned travel.
-
Record Production of Passports: In the week
ending March 29, the Department issued a record 412,000 passports. The
weekly tally surpasses the record set the previous week, when the Department
issued 379,000 passports.
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Regional Agencies Working through the Weekend:
Employees at the 17 Passport Agencies nationwide continue to work overtime
daily and throughout the weekend to process applications to meet Americans'
spring travel plans.
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Expanded Call Center for Information and
Appointments: The National Passport Information Center (1-877-487-2778)
remains open for limited weekend hours to make emergency arrangements for
travelers departing in seven days or less. NPIC has expanded its business
hours and is now staffed Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. until midnight,
Eastern Time.
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Volunteers on the Phones: On top of their
regular duties, State Department employees are volunteering on task forces
to answer questions and help Americans get their passports. The Department
has installed high-capacity telephone lines to increase the volume of
telephone calls it can receive.
-
Volunteers at the Desks: Qualified State
Department employees are also volunteering to help process passport
applications. These volunteers, who approved 10,000 applications last week,
supplement the Department's corps of passport specialists, which has
increased by 250 new hires since 2005.
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Establishing the Newest Passport Center: Test
runs at the new Arkansas Passport Center in Hot Springs indicate that this
center will begin operations in April, as planned. At full capacity, this
Center will produce as many as 10 million passports a year.
Important Points for Travelers
-
Travelers can check the status of their pending
passport applications online at
http://travel.state.gov.
Information is normally available online approximately four weeks after the
application is submitted.
-
Those who have applied and are leaving within
two weeks can visit
http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/npic/npic_895.html to send an
email inquiry to check the status or call the National Passport Information
Center at 1-877-487-2778. We ask that other travelers leave the phone lines
open for those with immediate travel needs.
-
Travelers who have not applied for passports to
date should plan ten weeks for standard passport processing and two weeks
for expedited processing. Information on how to apply for a passport,
including how to expedite processing, is available at
http://travel.state.gov.
Applicants requesting expedited service must write "EXPEDITE" on the outside
of the envelope containing their application.
First Time Tourist Passport
First time applicants must complete
Form DS-11
and provide the following:
-
Original / Certified Copy Birth Certificate,
Expired Passport, Naturalization Certificate or Consular Report
-
Driver's License, government ID or other
picture ID
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Two identical 2x2 passport photos
-
Check or Money order made payable to: Passport
Services
It is requested that a
letter from a Capitol Hill office accompanies all tourist requests.
First time or expired passport applicants (more than 15 years from its issue
date) must apply in person at the First Call+ Customer Service Center in B-227
Longworth House Office Building.
To replace a lost or stolen Tourist passport, follow the procedure for first
time applicants including
Form DS-64
Passport Renewal
To renew your passport you must complete Form DS-82, be able to provide your
most recent passport, and meet the following requirements:
-
Applicant was at least 16 years of age when
passport was issued
-
Passport is less than 15 years from issue date
-
Applicant uses the same name as on most recent
passport or can submit documentation to reflect name change
-
Provide two identical 2x2 passport photos
-
Check or Money Order made payable to: Passport
Services
It is requested that a
letter from a Capitol Hill office accompanies all tourist requests.
First Time Official Passports
Official passports are available only to Members, spouses and staff for
Official travel.
-
First time Official applicants must complete
Form DS-11
and provide the following:
-
Original / Certified Copy Birth Certificate,
Expired Passport, Naturalization Certificate or Consular Report
-
Driver's License, government ID or other
picture ID
-
Two Identical 2x2 Passport Photos
-
Official photos can be taken by appointment in
the Office of Photography 5-2840.
-
Provide a
letter on official letterhead from a Member authorizing the issuance of
an Official Passport.
Note: There is no fee for Official Passports. An authorizing letter is
mandatory for all Official actions.
First time or expired passport applicants (more than 15 years from its issue
date) must apply in person at the First Call+ Customer Service Center in B-227
Longworth House Office Building. If you already have a Tourist passport, follow
the procedure for Official passport renewal.
To replace a lost or stolen Official passport, follow the procedure for first
time Official applicants including
Form DS-64
Official Passport Renewal
To renew your Official passport you must complete
Form DS-82,
be able to provide your most recent passport, and meet the following
requirements:
-
Applicant was at least 16 years of age when
passport was issued
-
Passport is less than 15 years from issue date
-
Applicant uses the same name as on most recent
passport or can submit documentation to reflect name change
-
Provide two identical 2x2 passport
photos-Official photos can be taken by appointment in the Office of
Photography 5-2840.
-
Provide a
letter on official letterhead from a Member authorizing the issuance of
an Official Passport.
Note: There is no fee for Official Passports. An authorizing letter is
mandatory for all Official actions.
Bring all materials to B-227 LHOB First Call+ / Passport Services / #58000
Amending Passports
Effective September 26, 2005, The State Department Passport Services will no
longer amend valid passports. Instead, customers requesting name changes,
extension of validity for limited passports, or correction of a printing error
will apply for replacement passports.
If the change is within one year after issuance, they will submit a U.S.
Passport Re-Application Form (DS 5504), together with the passport that needs
the change, the documentation required, and new passport pictures. There will
be no charge for routine processing.
If the change is more than one year after issuance, customers will need to
submit an Application for Passport (DS-82), together with the passport that
needs the change, the documentation required, and new pictures.
Those only needing to add visa pages to their passports will submit an
Application for Additional Visa Pages (DS-4085). This service is always free of
charge when routine.
All of these forms will be available online at
travel.state.gov.
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