CHICAGO, IL — Are you planning international travel later this summer or fall? Are you applying for a passport for the first time? If so, the U.S. Postal Service has made applying for your passport easier with the Retail Customer Appointment Scheduler™ tool (RCAS) at http://www.usps.com/scheduler.  The RCAS tool guides you through the appointment process in four easy steps: 

1. Choose a day
2. Choose a location
3. Choose a time
4. Provide your details

Chicago has 33 Post Offices that offer passport acceptance service.  Most of these locations have Saturday hours and offer passport photo services as well.

For the appointment, travelers need to bring with them the following items: 

• The completed DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport form, which can be found at the Department of State website at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html. Do not sign the form
• Proof of US citizenship
• Proof of identity (valid driver’s license, government employee ID, military ID)
• Photocopies of U.S. citizenship and identification documents (these will be sent with the application, but bring originals for proof documentation)
• Appropriate payment. Acceptable forms of payment can be found on the Department of State website. (Please note that neither debit nor credit cards are acceptable forms of payment by the Department of State)
• Appropriate passport photo, if passport photo services are not available at the selected Post Office location

Passport applications for children under 16 have special requirements. Visit travel.state.gov for more information.  If renewing a passport, it can done by mail.  Renewal information can also be found at the Department of State website.

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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