LAS VEGAS — Need a passport or passport card? Applying for one is easy and convenient at the Las Vegas Post Office, according to Postmaster Craig Colton, who offered some passport tips that can save applicants time and money.

“I recommend you come in as early as possible to apply for your passport-at least six weeks prior to departure,” said Colton.

Applicants are encouraged to print and complete their applications ahead of time by going online at usps.com/passport. Do not sign the application form, as the passport acceptance clerk must witness the signing. Customers may also obtain a form at any passport office.

Application forms, information on the costs and how to apply for a passport book and/or passport card can be found at usps.com/passport or travel.state.gov/passport. U.S. citizens may also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-800-487-2778.

In 2011, the Postal Service accepted more than 5.7 million passport applications at more than 6,000 retail locations nationwide.

Once a passport has been obtained, holders will need a safe way to carry it - USPS Passport Wallets. These fashionable wallets, available in black or brown leather, retail for just $17.99 and let passport holders carry everything important in one place – passport, cash, another ID, and up to seven credit cards. The wallets are available at passport acceptance offices and at usps.com/shop.

What is needed for a passport:

• Bring in proper proof of U.S. citizenship or naturalization. This must be either: a state-issued certified birth certificate, available by contacting the State Department of Health of your state of birth; a previous official passport; or a naturalization certificate, if you are foreign-born. (Please note: a hospital-issued birth certificate is not acceptable.)
• Bring in one officially-acceptable state or government photo ID. This can be either a driver’s license, a military photo ID, or a state-issued photo ID. Workplace IDs and regular photos are generally not acceptable, and temporary ID is not accepted.
• The passport book application requires two recent identical photographs, which the Post Office will take for a fee. The photos must meet specific passport requirements.

Customers can go to usps.com/passport or call 1-800-ASK-USPS to get the location of passport Post Offices nearest them and their passport customer service hours. All applications are sent to the U.S. State Department for final processing and approval.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation – 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service world rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business Magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.