Porterville Post Office to hold Passport Fair August 30

Bilingual Saturday event makes it more convenient than ever to apply for a passport

PORTERVILLE, CA — The U.S. Postal Service will be holding a special Saturday Passport Fair on August 30, 2008, from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, at the Porterville Post Office, 65 W. Mill Avenue in Porterville.

To speed the process at this special community event, there will be extra staff on hand, including Spanish-speaking employees, to assist customers. There will be no appointment necessary and applicants can even have their passport photos taken at the fair for only $15.

A passport is international identification and proof of United States citizenship. A valid U.S. passport is required to enter and leave most foreign countries. A new wallet-sized passport card is now available for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean. The passport card cannot be used for air travel. Passport processing usually takes up to four weeks, so applicants are asked to plan ahead and apply for their passport or passport card now.

To apply for a Passport, customers will need to have:

• A certified copy of their Certificate of Live Birth issued by the state in which they were born (hospital-issued birth certificates and CA and TX state abstract forms are not acceptable); or an original United States Certificate of Naturalization; and
• a valid photo identification, such as a California driver’s license or identification card; and
• two passport photos. These must be identical, 2-inch by 2-inch head and shoulders pictures, taken against a light, solid color background. (Photos can be taken at the USPS Passport Fair for $15.)

Fees
An adult passport (applicant 16 years or older at time of application) is valid 10 years and costs a total of $100. Two separate payments are made: $75 passport fee to Department of State (DoS) by check or money order and a $25 execution fee to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in cash, money order, check, debit or credit card. An adult passport card is $45 ($20 to DoS and $25 to USPS) and valid 10 years.

A child’s passport (15 years or under at time of application) is valid five years and costs $85 ($60 to DoS and $25 to USPS). Minors 13 years or under must have parental consent to obtain a passport and must have both parents present during the application process. Minors age 14-18 must have at least one parent present. A child’s passport card is $35 ($10 to DoS and $25 to USPS) and valid five years.

Passport forms can be downloaded at usps.com/passport. Routine applications are processed in less than four weeks. Expedited service costs $60 extra, for receipt within two weeks. For emergency situations requiring a passport sooner, applicants should contact the Los Angeles Passport Agency at 310-575-5700. Additional information is available from the Dept. of State at http://travel.state.gov. To check the status of a passport application, call 1-877-487-2778 or visit http://travel.state.gov.