SAN DIEGO – The United States Postal Service will hold passport fairs in October at post offices in San Diego County for first-time passport applicants.  No appointments are necessary.

Customers have the option of applying for a passport book (good for all international travel) or the passport card (good only for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda).

Passport fees

The above fees must be paid with a personal check or money order. (No exceptions!)  In addition to the above costs, there is also a $35 processing/acceptance fee, which can be paid for by cash, personal check, debit and credit cards or money order. All of the Post Offices above offer passport photo services for $15.

Travelers are encouraged to apply for a passport several months before they are scheduled to travel overseas. Again, the average time for passport applications and renewals is six weeks. However, for an additional fee of $60 the State Department will expedite the application and process it within three weeks.

To apply for a passport, travelers need to complete Passport Application Form DS-11 (unsigned) and provide one of the following: a U.S. birth certificate from the Department of Vital Statistics (not a certificate of birth) or naturalization papers. Applicants must also show either a valid driver’s license, a previous or current U.S. passport book or card, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, military I.D. or a federal, state or municipal government employee I.D. card. Applicants 15 and under must be present with both parents unless consent is given; ages 16 and 17 require only one parent be present.

For more information about passport application requirements and to download forms, visit the State Department’s travel website at www.travel.state.gov.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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