A Semester Abroad Starts Here…

Special Holiday Week Passport Hours at the Norwalk Post Office For Students Home On Break

NORWALK – For some college and high school students, an educational or travel opportunity can arise quickly.   The Norwalk Post Office wants these future leaders to be ready. 
 
On Tuesday, December 30, the Norwalk Post Office, 16 Washington Street, will conduct passport processing from 9 am to 4 pm, targeting local families and students who are home on break from high schools and colleges. 

On-site photos are available.

"Most students do not take important papers like birth certificates, adoption or naturalization papers to college.  Those papers stay home, in a locked drawer, with Mom and Dad," explained Postmaster Robert Pilkington of Norwalk. 

"And many are surprised to learn that passports issued to children age 15 or under expire after only five years.  So it may be a perfect time to visit our office for a new passport for your student," he added.  "We'll get you ready."

According to Mr. Pilkington, a passport card may be an affordable, appropriate document for some travel needs.  The wallet sized card is valid for land and sea crossings between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. 

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

Passport forms for the traditional passport book and the new card will available at the Norwalk Post Office on Tuesday.  Applicants may also download passport forms from usps.com, the Postal Service website.

Parents are also invited to update, or file for their own, passport on Tuesday.

"Of course, we can plan for most business or recreational needs for a passport," said Mr. Pilkington.  "But if our children are traveling and there is an emergency, I know I would want a passport at the ready so I could be of help."

Each applicant needs to present proof of US 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.

Both parents must provide consent authorizing passport issuance for a minor under age 16.  Postal passport acceptance personnel can offer guidance as can the passport acceptance site at www.usps.com or at http://travel.state.gov/.   Special requirements also apply for applicants aged 16 and 17.   

The Department of State indicates that passport processing currently takes about three weeks. Expedited requests are available at additional cost.  Online tracking of the status of a passport begins about five to seven days after an application is sent. 

The Postal Service’s Connecticut District serves more than 3.5 million postal customers over more than 5,000 square miles through 218 post offices and an additional 80 stations and branches, including the Norwalk Post Office.
Passport fees
Adult [age 16 and older]

Passport book application fee $75 + the execution fee $25 = $100
Passport card application fee $20 + the execution fee $25 = $45

Child [age 15 and younger]

Passport book application fee $60 + the execution fee $25 = $85
Passport card application fee $10 + the execution fee $25 = $35
Passports by the numbers
74 million – Number of Americans with valid passports

9,000 – Number of places to secure a passport.  Nearly two-thirds are post offices

131 – Connecticut Post Offices, stations and branches that provide passport services

16,208,003 – Passports issued in the United States in Fiscal Year 2008

523,706 – Passport cards issued in the United States in Fiscal Year 2008

222,977 – Passports issued in Connecticut in Fiscal Year 2008

131,222 -- Passports issued through Connecticut Post Offices in Fiscal Year 2008

Fiscal Year 2008 - October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008
Sources:Postal Service CT District Retail Services, US Department of State

I cannot get to Norwalk. Can I get a passport here?
The Postal Service website offers a locator service for postal passport acceptance offices.  Click to find which of the state's 131 postal sites offering passport service may be open for your needs:
http://usps.whitepages.com/passport

Editor's Note:    

For a preview of Passport information, including forms, available at www.usps.com, click here:
Passport information at www.usps.com

To review Passport information, including photographic requirements for professional photographers and acceptance agents from the Department of State, click here:
Department of State Passport link