Supersized Post Office Hours Welcome Passport Lite

New Passport Card, Passport Book, Photos Served at Saturday Special Event

WHAT:
Passport service is on the menu at the Endicott Post Office. But now, reports Postmaster Patricia Sroka, there are a super-sized number of options of travel documents to select.

According to Ms. Sroka, the Post Office will provide the new passport card submissions, along with the standard passport book applications and on-site professional photos, during extended hours on Saturday, Feb. 16.

WHEN:
Extra hours for passport program in Endicott on February 16 will be from 11 am to 2 pm.

WHERE:
The Endicott Post Office is located at 200 Washington Avenue. Visitors to that Post Office and other sites that accept passport applications can now 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,” cautions Ms. Sroka. “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. Applications for the new passport card were opened to the public on Feb. 1, with deliveries of the card expected by spring.

WHAT TO BRING:
The State Department is expected to have a new passport application available for use by 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. On-site photo service is available during the extended hours.

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.

WHAT TO PAY:
Prices also changed on Feb. 1. 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.

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