Two post offices in Tennessee and one in northern Georgia are hosting Passport Fairs Saturday to assist international travelers. Fairs serve customers on a first come, first served basis. No appointments are needed. (There is a limited capacity for acceptance.)
According to the State Department, the average time for passport applications and renewals is currently six to eight weeks.
The Passport Fair in Trenton will be held at 12441 N Main St. from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Passport fees are as follows:
Adults (age 16 years and older): Passport Card is $30, Passport Book is $110 and both is $140
Minors: (under age 16): Passport Card is $15, Passport Book is $80 and both is $95
The fees must be paid with a personal check or money order. There is a $35 processing/acceptance fee and a $15 fee for photos, which can be paid for by cash, personal check, debit and credit cards or money order. Passport Fair offices offers passport photo services.
Travelers are encouraged to apply for a passport several months before they are scheduled to travel overseas. However, for an additional fee, the State Department will expedite the application and process it within three weeks. The Postal Service suggests travelers check the expiration date on their U.S. passport. Many countries require a passport have as much as six months’ validity remaining for entry.
To apply for a passport, travelers need to complete Passport Application Form DS-11 (unsigned) and provide one of the following: a U.S. birth certificate from the Department of Vital Statistics (not a certificate of birth) or naturalization papers. Applicants must also show either a valid driver’s license, a previous or current U.S. passport book or card, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, military I.D. or a federal, state or municipal government employee I.D. card. Applicants 15 and under must be present with both parents unless consent is given; ages 16 and 17 require only one parent be present.
For more information about passport application requirements and to download forms, visit the State Department’s travel website at www.travel.state.gov.
For appointments during regular passport processing hours, the U.S. Postal Service has made scheduling easier with the launch of the USPS Retail Customer Appointment Scheduler tool at http://www.usps.com/scheduler.
Register for Informed Delivery www.informeddelivery.usps.com and see the mail before it’s delivered to your mailbox.