Postal Service offers passport time

All travelers must have a
passport to enter the U.S.

POLAND — The U.S. Postal Service is providing an opportunity for people to get U.S. passports.

Passport-certified Postal Service employees will process applications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, at the Poland Branch Post Office, 125 W. McKinley Way.

“You should maintain a valid U.S. passport if you have family living or traveling abroad, if you are thinking about a vacation abroad, or if you have a job that could require international travel,” said Youngstown Postmaster Veronica Rice.

College students who anticipate studying in another country, or high school students who are involved in exchange programs, should also obtain a passport before making travel plans, she said.

Effective Jan. 1, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to and from the Americas, the Caribbean and Bermuda to have a passport to enter or re-enter the United States when traveling by sea and land.

The time needed for processing a passport is about 12 weeks. Expedited processing is available if travel plans require departure in three to four weeks.

Walk-ins are welcome at the event. An appointment isn’t necessary.

For more information, visit www.usps.com/passport.

What it costs

It costs $97 for adults (16 years and older), with separate payments of $67 paid to the State Department for the passport application fee and $30 to the Postal Service for its processing fee.

For people younger than 16, the cost is $82, with separate payments of $52 and $30, respectively.

Two identical photos of each applicant are required. The specifications for the photos can be found at http://travel.state.gov/passport. For expedited passport service, add $60 for each application.

Those seeking a passport should bring proper proof of American citizenship or naturalization. Acceptable forms include a state-issued certified birth certificate, a previous official passport or a naturalization certificate, if you are foreign-born. A hospital-issued birth certificate is not acceptable.

Bring in one officially-acceptable state or government photo ID. This can be either a driver’s license, a military photo ID or a state-issued photo ID. Workplace IDs and regular photos are generally not acceptable.

To save time, download passport application documents at www.usps.com/passport and fill it out beforehand. But don’t sign the application form, as the passport acceptance clerk must witness the signing.

For children younger than 14, both parents’ consent and proof of parental relationship are required.