Travel Tips

Anyone that is looking to take an international trip better get ready to get in line at their local U.S. passport office if they don’t already have a passport. Finding an office is not difficult, especially with the help of the Internet. A surprise for many is that their local post office also serves as a passport processing center.

There is simply no way to get around having to apply person for the first time passport applicant. Every form has to be filled out, every i dotted and every t crossed. In addition to all of the forms, there is very specific documentation that must be brought in for the application to be accepted.

This national security concern is one of the reasons that the government asks citizens to apply for a passport in person. In order to make applying in person easier, the government has designated many different government service offices as passport offices. This way, citizens do not have to travel to regional passport offices in major cities.

In many cases, the office is conveniently located at the local post office. They are also sometimes in other local government offices, libraries and county clerk offices. It will all depend on the area, but the can easily be found by checking online. If an international trip is on the horizon, start looking around to see how close the local office actually is.

Some of these offices have on site passport photo centers. However, these photo centers are not universal. To be safe, an applicant should always bring passport photos to the office. Normally photo centers are only available at offices that offer expedited services. To check for an office with a photo center in a given region, go on the State Department website and select “photo on-site” in the search filter on the zip-code oriented passport center search page.

Sometimes people have a need to go to one of the regional passport offices. Normally people that need a passport in less than two weeks will have to go to one of the regional offices. These offices are located in major metropolitan cities. Regional offices are located in cities like New York, Dallas, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others. A full list of regional centers can be found on the State Department website.

The bright side to the passport story is that the only time you need to go there in person is the first time. When the passport has to be renewed, everything can be done via the mail. As long as a passport is not lost, you will never have to go through this time consuming process again. Just download the forms, fill them out and send them in with the required documents.

Why it would be nice if the electronic age could be useful in avoiding the US passport office, there is simply no way around it for a first time US passport applicant. These laws are in place for good reason and it all comes down to national security. If they made the process too easy, anyone could get a passport and just about anyone would be able to get into the country.

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