Goleta, CA — The U.S. Postal Service will be holding a special Saturday passport fair on Sat., Mar. 7, 2009, from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M., at the Goleta Branch Post Office, 130 Patterson in Goleta.

On June 1, 2009, the U.S. government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of ntry to have a passport, passport card, or other travel document approved by the Department of Homeland Security. Plan ahead and get your passport or passport card now.

To speed the process at this special community event, there will be extra passport staff on hand to assist customers with applications. There will be no appointment necessary and applicants can even have their passport photos taken at the fair for only $15.

A passport is international identification and proof of United States citizenship. A valid U.S. passport is required to enter and leave most foreign countries. A wallet-sized passport card is available for land and sea crossings only between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean. The passport card cannot be used for air travel.

To apply for a Passport or Passport Card, customers will need to have:

• A certified copy of their Certificate of Live Birth issued by the state in which they were born (hospital-issued birth certificates and CA and TX state abstract forms are not acceptable); or an original United States Certificate of Naturalization; and
• a valid photo identification, such as a California driver’s license or identification card; and
• two passport photos. These must be identical, 2-inch by 2-inch head and shoulders pictures, taken against a light, solid color background. (Photos can be taken at the USPS Passport Fair for $15.)

Fees
An adult passport (applicant 16 years or older at time of application) is valid 10 years and costs a total of $100. Two separate payments are made: $75 passport fee to Department of State (DoS) by check or money order and a $25 execution fee to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in cash, money order, check, debit or credit card. An adult passport card is $45 ($20 to DoS and $25 to USPS) and valid 10 years.

A child’s passport (15 years or under at time of application) is valid five years and costs $85 ($60 to DoS and $25 to USPS). Minors 13 years or under must have parental consent to obtain a passport and must have both parents present during the application process. Minors age 14-18 must have at least one parent present. A child’s passport card is $35 ($10 to DoS and $25 to USPS) and valid five years.

Passport forms can be downloaded at usps.com/passport. Routine applications are processed in less than four weeks. Expedited service costs $60 extra, for receipt within two weeks. For emergency situations requiring a passport sooner, applicants should contact the Los Angeles Passport Agency at 310-575-5700. Additional information is available from the Dept. of State at http://travel.state.gov.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.