If overseas travel is in your plans, now is the perfect time to review your passport needs.

To help accommodate passport applicants, the Postal Service will offer a special passport fair on June 23, 2018, at the Holyoke Post Office, located at 226 S Interocean Ave from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Our Post Office is pleased to host this special passport fair event,” said Holyoke Postmaster Steven Starkebaum. “We will provide dedicated passport experts for the fair, so that all applications will be processed quickly and efficiently and all questions answered.”

Passport renewals can be handled online, but new passports must have original documentation, photos and applications – all of which can be processed Saturday.

There are two travel documents that can be applied for -- the passport book or the passport card.

The passport book can be used for most international travel world-wide. The less costly passport card may only be used for land and sea travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean.  Both the passport card and the passport book have the same validity period: 10 years for an adult, five years for children 15 and younger.

Customers can expedite passport application processing time at the Post Office Passport Fair by bringing these original documents, plus an additional copy:

• Bring proper proof of American citizenship. This must be either: a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state; a previous U.S. passport; a certificate of citizenship; or a naturalization certificate. (Note: a hospital-issued birth certificate alone is not acceptable.)  Visit www.travel.state.gov for questions regarding documentation.
• Bring proof of identity. This must be either: a previous U.S. passport; a naturalization certificate; a certificate of citizenship; or a current valid driver’s license, government ID or military photo ID.
• The passport application requires one recent photograph. If you don’t have a photo, photo services will be available for $15 for each application payable to the Post Office.
• All fees must be paid for by checks, cash or money order. No credit cards.
• To save time, you can download a passport application at usps.com/passport and complete it beforehand but do not sign the application until witnessed by an acceptance agent. Passport applications must be made in person and cannot be made online.

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