ST MARYS, OH — As a community service and to make it easier to apply for a U.S. passport, Postmaster Pat Turman is announcing a special Passport Fair on Saturday, February 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the St Marys Post Office, 120 North Chestnut Street, St Marys, Ohio 45885.

In addition to the expanded passport acceptance hours, extra staffing will be on hand to assist customers.  Turman emphasizes no appointment is necessary for the Passport Fair, walk-ins are welcome, and passport photo service will also be available.

Turman recommends bringing original documents and following these guidelines:

• Download and complete a passport application at www.travel.state.gov beforehand. 
• Bring proper proof of U.S. citizenship (as shown on the application DS-11 dated 09/2013).
• Bring proof of identity. This must be either: a recently issued U.S. passport; a recently issued naturalization certificate; a recently issued certificate of citizenship; or a current valid driver’s license, government ID or military photo ID.
• Bring a photocopy of your proof of identity.  Each applicant must bring a front and back photocopy of the ID that will be presented at the time of passport acceptance.
• The passport application requires a recent passport photograph of you (2” x 2” in size).
• All applicants must appear in person (including minors). Minors under the age of 16 must appear with both parents. If one parent is not available, a notarized authorization from the absent parent is required.

The U.S. Department of State provides detailed guidelines for preparing passport applications and supporting documents as well as current processing times at: www.travel.state.gov. The Postmaster indicates USPS.com is also an excellent resource for obtaining the paperwork and locating acceptance facilities across the nation. Feel free to contact Turman at (419) 394-4155 with any questions about the February 11 Passport Fair.

Only need to renew a passport? Well, the State Department says you should do it now—and they mean ASAP. That’s because the agency is expecting an epic amount of renewal requests due to millions of passports set to expire. Nearly 10 years ago, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was a law passed requiring U.S. citizens to have a passport in order to travel to all countries, and soon those passports will no longer be valid. The State Department says it’s looking at about 47 million passports set to expire this year alone. If you’re planning a trip overseas in the next six months, don’t wait.

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