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New Passport Card Joins Passport Book and Photos At Connecticut Post Offices

Across Connecticut, 126 post offices have offered passport services for area residents. Starting Friday, there is something new on the menu

According to postal officials, these Post Offices will join acceptance sites around the nation to provide applications for the new passport card. Participating offices will also continue to accept passport book applications and, in some locations, to provide on-site professional photos.

Beginning Feb. 1, visitors to area Post Offices who file passport applications can request the traditional book form, the new passport card or both. Prices and use of each vary.

THE PASSPORT CARD: The wallet-sized passport card was designed for the needs of residents in border communities. The card is valid for land and sea crossings between the US and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

“The card may not be used to travel by air” Connecticut District Manager for the Postal Service, Edward F. Phelan, Jr. “If you only have a passport card on a trip or cruise and an emergency requires you to fly home, you will not be able to re-enter the country. That’s why the familiar passport book is still an appropriate document for most travelers.”

The card has the same lifespan as passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for youth 15 and younger.

The State Department is expected to have a new passport application available for use on Feb. 1. The layout of the State Department form changes but much of the same information is required. Applicants can opt for the book, a card or both.

Applicants still must provide proof of citizenship, separate photo identification and a Social Security number. Passport photos are also needed.

In another change, applicants under the age of 16 will need consent from both parents to file an application form. It was previously limited to youths aged 14 and under.

Prices also change on Friday.

The acceptance fee, paid to facilities that accept passports such as a Post Office, will be reduced to $25.

Adults over 16 requesting their first passport book pay a State Department fee of $75, an increase of $8. Youth passport books require a State Department fee of $60, also up $8. Acceptance fees apply. First-time adult applicants for a passport card require the State Department fee of $20. For applicants under 16, passport cards require a State Department fee of $10. Acceptance fees again apply.

While the Post Office takes plastic for its fees and photos, the State Department cannot be paid by credit card. Applicants can also use cash, checks or money orders with fee payments made separately to each agency.

For adults with a current valid passport, applying for the passport card is $20. There is no acceptance fee.

First-timers applying for both documents get a break. State Department fees still apply for both the book and the card. But one acceptance fee covers the transaction, saving a little extra cash for the trip ahead.

WHERE TO GO: The Department of State notes that there are more than 9,000 passport acceptance sites across the country. More than half of these are post offices.

The 126 post offices in the state that offer passports, in ZIP CODE ORDER, include:

NOTE: Additional information on passports can be found at the web sites of the Postal Service http://www.usps.com/passport/welcome.htm and the Department of State http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Information on the new passport card as well as the updated forms to download are expected to be available by February 1st at both websites.