Maine — You know you need a passport for international travel. But did you know that, because of the passage of the REAL ID law, later this year Maine residents may need a passport to board domestic flights?

With average processing times of 6 weeks or more, now is the time to start planning that summer vacation and your local Post office wants to make that easy with extended hours for passport processing.

The Waterville Post office will be open on Wednesday, March 21 and Thursday, March 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Hallowell post office will be open on Thursday, March 22 and Friday, March 23 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, March 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Stratton Post Office will be open on Friday, March 23 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The following offices will also have extended hours on Saturday, March 24:
Augusta 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Biddeford 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bridgton 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Caribou 9 a.m. to Noon, Fort Kent 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Gorham 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Livermore Falls 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mars Hill 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sabattus 8 a.m. to Noon, Springvale 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and York 9 a.m. to Noon

USPS.com is an excellent resource for getting passport paperwork and locating other acceptance facilities across the nation.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

# # #

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

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

Follow us on twitter.com/USPS and like us at facebook.com/USPS. For more information about the Postal Service, go to usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.