Naples, FL — Saturday March 27th has been designated as National Passport Day. In observance of this, the Coco River Post Office, 1130 Creekside Way, Naples will offer a passport fair. No appointments will be taken and individuals will be served on a first-come, first-served basis from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Effective June 1,2009 the last phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative took effect. A passport, passport card, or acceptable documentation is now needed for land border crossings and sea travel. The passport fair will offer passport photos and processing of new passport applications.

Everyone, including newborn infants, is required to obtain a passport in his or her own name. For children under 16, the consent of both parents/guardians is required. A new passport card has been introduced and facilitates entry at U.S. land and sea ports of entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda; however, it may not be used to travel by air.

The following items are required to complete the passport:

• a completed application (form is available at www.usps.com; do not sign it until instructed to by the passport clerk)
• proof of identity (a valid permanent state driver’s license, a government ID or military ID, previous passport, Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization Certificate) please bring the original and a photocopy
• proof of U.S. citizenship (previous passport, original or certified birth certificate issued from the state with a raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal and the registrar’s signature and date of certificate filing)
• two official passport photos (passport photo service is available on site)
• Social Security Number

Department of State fees vary according to age and type. They must be made by money order, check bank draft, or cashier’s check made payable to the U.S. Department of State; debit and credit card payment is not available. Each individual making application must have a separate payment. Charges include:

• the fee for age under 16 passport book is $60
• the fee for those age 16 and over for passport book is $75
• the fee for those under age 16 for passport card is $10
• the fee for those age 16 and over for passport card is $20

In addition, the Postal Service charges $25 per application as the processing fee.

For additional information about the passport fair call 239-513-9161.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources,visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.