Forest Dale Post Office now offering passport service

FOREST DALE—The Forest Dale Post Office has begun offering passport services.  Passport applications will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the post office, 233 North Street. 

U.S. State Department regulations now require travelers who fly to and from the United States to have a passport to enter or leave the country.  Sea and land crossings to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will require either the new passport card or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

Identification needed to apply for a passport includes proof of U.S. citizenship in the form of a certified birth certificate or naturalization papers.  Also, proof of identity in the form of a driver’s license, old passport or military ID is needed.  Social Security number and parents’ place of birth will also be required.  Both parents must be present to apply for a passport for children under 16 years of age. 

The State Department recommends applying for your passport two months prior to traveling to a foreign country.  Passport fees are $100 for a 16 year old or older and $85 for children under 16.  Passport cards are $45 for adults and $35 for children under 16. Passport photo service is available for $15.

Passport applications can be downloaded from www.usps.com/passport.  Bring the unsigned form to the Cornish Flat Post Office or any passport acceptance office for processing.