The Sugar Valley Post Office will be celebrating “Passport Day in the USA” on Saturday, March 27 from 8 a.m. to noon.
“Passport Day in the USA” is a national outreach event to inform the public about the changes to U.S. travel document requirements, provide passport information and accept passport applications from U.S. citizens.
Post Master Erica Whitfield said the Sugar Valley Post Office, 155 Main St. in Sugar Valley, started processing passport applications in 2007 but this is the first time the facility has participated in “Passport Day in the USA.”
Whitfield said no appointment is necessary, just come by the Sugar Valley Post Office Saturday morning.
“If you are 16 and over, all you need to bring is your original birth certificate and your driver’s license,” she said. If you are under 16, you need to have both of your parents with you, along with a birth certificate.”
Citizens with expired U.S. passports can bring those in for renewal, as well, she said.
“We have all the forms to process your request. We’ll even take you passport photo while you’re here,” said Whitfield.
Whitfield said the application process should only take 10 to 15 minutes if all your paperwork is in order.
Applicants can expect to receive their passport in approximately four weeks for routine service and about two to three weeks for expedited service, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
The passport application fee is $75, the post office charges a $25 fee and there is a $15 fee for passport photos.
“We’re hoping for a big turnout,” Whitfield said. “I don’t have any idea how many people might show up Saturday, but we do a pretty good number of passports to be out here in Sugar Valley.”
Since 2007, everyone traveling in and out of the United States by air needs a passport. Since June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens must present a passport book, passport card, or other travel documents approved by the U.S. government to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land borders and sea ports of entry.
Post a Comment