LOUISVILLE, KY – Saturday is one of the busiest passport application days at the Louisville Main Post Office. To expedite the process and avoid any delays for customers, the Post Office has moved to a Saturday appointment-only system. To schedule an appointment, customers can call (502) 454-1763.

Passports are still being processed Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with no appointment. However, customers may have to wait in line.

The Louisville Main Post Office is located at 1420 Gardiner Lane and is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

For customers ages 16 and older, the total passport application cost is $100. For applicants, ages 15 and younger, the cost is $85. The validity period of a passport for 16 and older customers is 10 years. The validity period of a passport for 15 and younger customers is five years.

It generally takes an average time of four to six weeks for passport applications to be processed, reviewed by the State Department and delivered. The Postal Service recommends applying for your passport at least two months before your international travel.

If you need your passport in less than six weeks, your application can be expedited for an additional $60 fee for each application, payable to the Department of State. With the expedited process, delivery time is usually from three to four weeks.

The Postal Service recommends bringing the following items to your passport appointment to save you time and inconvenience, and to help your passport application process go smoothly:

• Proper proof of American citizenship: a certified birth certificate issued by a city, county or state; a previous U.S. passport; a certificate of citizenship; or a naturalization certificate. Hospital-issued birth certificates alone are not acceptable.
• Proof of identity: 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 two recent identical photographs. If you don’t have photos, photo services are available for $15 (for each applicant) payable to the Post Office.
• To save time, you can download a passport application at usps.com/passport and complete it beforehand. Passport applications must be made in person and cannot be made online.

Customers can find out more about the passport application process at the Department of State website at www.travel.state.gov or at usps.com/passport. Passport acceptance services are conveniently offered at more than 5,900 Post Offices nationwide. Customers can call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or go to usps.com to find a passport Post Office near you and its service hours.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.