Passports

Portrait

Passports are obtained through the Passport Services Division of the Department of State. Through your local passport acceptance agent, usually the Post Office or county courthouse, you can apply for a new passport, renew your old one, or do any of a number of things, including replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged passport, or adding new pages to your existing book.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Traveling Overseas

You've got your passport and you're ready to go on your trip, right? Not quite. You still have to check with the country or countries you'll be visiting to determine whether or not you'll need a visa. A visa is permission from a country to cross their borders and comes in the form of a page inserted in your U.S. Passport. You usually have to mail your passport to the Embassy or Consulate of the country you'll be visiting, so allow plenty of time to accomplish this.

Also, check the State Department website for travel warnings and consular information sheets that provide very helpful information about the country you plan on visiting. The State Department International Travel website also contains very comprehensive information on all the services it provides both stateside and abroad. This includes crisis assistance for U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad, and various travel publications available on-line.

Foreign Entry (Visa) Requirements:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1229.html

Travel Warnings: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

State Department International Travel:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html

American Embassies and Consulates General

Many U.S. Diplomatic Missions abroad have information online. For those that don't, check the State Department's Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts for addresses, and phone and fax numbers for U.S. Embassies and Consulates throughout the world.

Passports in a Hurry

Passports usually take from 30 to 40 days to issue. For a $60.00 fee -- plus the cost of 2-way overnight mail -- you can "expedite" this process and receive your passport in 7 to 10 working days.


State Department Responds to Increased Requests

U.S. Department of State April 2, 2007

State Department Answers Nation's Call for Passports

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 click here 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.

Last-Minute Help from Congresswoman Sutton's Office:

If you have not received your passport two weeks prior to when you are leaving, please call Pam Walker in Rep. Sutton's Akron office at 330-865-8450.