Passport service gets a makeover

Appointment-only system helps speed application process

BOWLING GREEN, KY — With the summer travel season right around the corner, the Bowling Green Post Office is trying to make applying for a passport more convenient for its customers. To expedite the process and avoid any delays, the Post Office is moving to an appointment-only system starting Monday, April 6. To schedule an appointment, customers can call 270.796.4091 between 9 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“We decided to make the change because many of our customers requested it,” said Bowling Green Postmaster Mike Keen. “Once in place, it should cut down on the wait time in line for non-passport customers.”

The Bowling Green Post Office is located at 311 E. 11th Ave. and is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

For customers ages 16 and older, the total passport application cost is $100. For applicants, ages 15 and younger, the cost is $85. The validity period of a passport for 16 and older customers is 10 years. The validity period of a passport for 15 and younger customers is five years.

It generally takes an average time of four to six weeks for passport applications to be processed, reviewed by the State Department and delivered. The Postal Service recommends applying for your passport at lease two months before your international travel. If you need your passport in less than six weeks, your application can be expedited for an additional $60 fee for each application, payable to the Department of State. With the expedited process, delivery time is usually from three to four weeks.

The Postal Service recommends bringing the following items to your passport appointment to save you time and inconvenience, and to help your passport application process go smoothly:

Proper proof of American citizenship: a certified birth certificate issued by a city, county or state; a previous U.S. passport; a certificate of citizenship; or a naturalization certificate. Hospital-issued birth certificates alone are not acceptable.
Proof of identity: a previous U.S. passport; a naturalization certificate; a certificate of citizenship; or a current valid driver’s license, government ID or military photo ID.
The passport application requires two recent identical photographs. If you don’t have photos, photo services are available for $15 (for each applicant) payable to the Post Office.
To save time, you can download a passport application at usps.com/passport and complete it beforehand. Passport applications must be made in person and cannot be made online.

Customers can find out more about the passport application process at the Department of State website at www.travel.state.gov or at usps.com/passport. Passport acceptance services are conveniently offered at more than 5,900 Post Offices nationwide. Customers can call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or go to usps.com to find a passport Post Office near you and its service hours.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.