Massena Post Office, Customs continue passport outreach

The world of travel changes, again, in fifteen days.

On June 1st, the government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Those rules require U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea and land ports of entry to have a passport or passport card.

The Massena Post Office will join the US Customs and Border Protection this weekend at the St. Lawrence Centre to help local residents prepare.

Representatives from both agencies will be on site at the mall on Saturday, May 16, from 10 am until 4 pm.

The Postal Service will stage a full service passport acceptance unit for passport books and passport cards. On site photos will also be available. Postal officials note that passport forms will be available at St. Lawrence Centre. Applicants may also download passport forms from usps.com, the Postal Service website.

Customs and Border Protection will provide information regarding documents for entry into the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda.

What's a passport card?

The wallet sized passport card – which began production 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.

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.

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

In 2008, the State Department noted more than 16 million passports were issued, down from the 2007 peak of 18,382,798 passports issued. Of those, 1,231,200 passports and cards were issued across New York State.

Today, more than 74 million Americans now have valid U.S. passports and more than 700,000 passport cards have been issued. Nationwide, there are more than 9,000 locations to secure a passport. Nearly two-thirds are post offices, including the Massena Post Office.