53 post offices join PASSPORT DAY USA promo on Mar 28

HARTFORD & LITCHFIELD COUNTIES — Across Connecticut, 53 post offices will join the Department of State in celebrating “Passport Day in the USA,” a national passport acceptance and outreach event on Saturday, March 28.

The promotion comes just 65 days before the June 1st full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Those rules will require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea and land ports of entry to have a passport or passport card. Other documents approved by the Department of Homeland Security may also qualify.

On Saturday, March 28, regional postal officials say that passport forms for the traditional passport book and the new passport card will be available at all locations. Applicants may also download passport forms from usps.com, the Postal Service website.

The wallet sized passport card — first issued in July 2008 — is valid for land and sea crossings between the US and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It is not valid for international air travel.

The passport card has the same lifespan as passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for youth 15 and younger. Adults who already have a fully valid passport book may apply for the card as a passport renewal by mail and pay only $20.

To date, the Department of State reports more than 700,000 passport cards have been issued

Each applicant for a passport card or book must present proof of citizenship by supplying a certified birth certificate with a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal. Others may need to obtain a consular report of birth abroad or a naturalization certificate.

Those applying also need proof of identity which can include a previous U.S. passport, a Naturalization Certificate, a valid driver's license, a government ID or military ID issued to military personnel. All passport applicants also must provide a Social Security number, including infants.

Department of State indicates that passport processing currently takes about four weeks. Expedited requests are available at additional cost.

In 2008, there were 131,222 passport applications were filed in Connecticut post offices, more than half of the state's total.

Today, more than 74 million Americans have valid U.S. passports. Nationwide, there are more than 9,000 locations to secure a passport. Nearly two-thirds are post offices. In Connecticut, 131 post offices provide passport services at various times, or by appointment, each week.

** All sites provide on site passport photographs, for $15, except Washington Depot and West Cornwall