Passport Services

 

Passport Help

To obtain a passport, you must apply in person, at one of the area post offices, several months prior to your planned departure date. To find the nearest passport acceptance facility, click here.  The average time to get a passport is six to eight weeks, with the wait frequently much longer in the summer months.

 

There are a few things you will need to bring:

  • Passport forms - available from passport agencies, post offices, clerks of court, travel agencies and here
  • Proof of US Citizenship (either a certified copy of your birth certificate or a previous passport)
  • Two identical, recent photographs (2x2 inches/must show full face, front view)
  • Proof of Identity (a valid driver's license, military ID, government ID, corporate ID, Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship.)
  • Your Social Security Card (a Social Security number is not required to get a passport)
  • Money! - Age 16 and older: The passport application fee is $67. The execution fee is $30. The total is $97. Under Age 16: The passport application fee is $52. The execution fee is $30. The total is $82. The passport application fee includes the $12.00 Security Surcharge, which became effective March 8, 2005.
  • If you passport is needed within two weeks or less, bring proof as to why you need it expedited, and an extra $60 to cover the fee!

For Passport assistance and information, go to www.travel.state.gov and look under PASSPORTS.  This is an informative and detailed web site. You can find out where to apply at a nearby convenient location and find out how long processing will take. You will also be able to download forms and find out what the requirements are. 

For information on checking the status of your application, please visit the National Passport Information Center website.

 

Have an Emergency? Leaving in five days?

You will need to have all of the above items, as well as your plane tickets or itinerary from an airline and proof of the emergency. Bring it all to one of those five post offices (above) and have the application sent to the New Orleans passport agency through an overnight mail service (USPS, Fedex or UPS). An additional $35 fee will be charged and you must include a self-addressed, pre-paid overnight mail envelope for the return of your passport.

 

Have a Passport? Need a new one?

You may apply for a passport by mail if you already have a passport. There are a few restrictions: the passport must have been issued to you within the past 12 years, and when you were over age 18. It must not be mutilated, altered or destroyed. Obtain form DSP-82 "Application for Passport by Mail" from the post office and attach it to your most recent passport, along with two identical passport photographs, and a check or money order for $67 (remember to make it payable to "Passport Services").

If applicable, also include the self- addressed stamped envelope and the $35 fee for expediting your passport.  For further instructions on passport renewal, click here.

 

Resources

 

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

 

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