ASHTABULA, OH — No matter how far away a traveler’s destination is, the Post Office is the most convenient place to apply for a passport to get started on the journey. To help travelers with their applications, the Ashtabula Main Post Office located at 4307 Station Ave is hosting a Passport Fair, Saturday, April 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Appointments are not necessary.

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

To help the Passport Fair application process go smoothly and efficiently, the Postal Service recommends the following:

• Bring proper proof of American citizenship. This must be either a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state; a previous U.S. passport; a certificate of citizenship; or a naturalization certificate. (Please note: a hospital-issued birth certificate alone is not acceptable.)
• 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 proof of identity. Each applicant must bring a photocopy of the front and back of the ID that will be presented at the time of passport acceptance.
• The passport application requires recent color passport photograph of you (2” x 2” in size). The Post Office will offer passport photo service for $15.
• To save time, customers should download the passport application at www.travel.state.gov and complete beforehand. However, do not sign the application.
• All applicants must appear in person (including minors).
• Minors under the age of 14 must appear with both parents. If one parent is not available, a notarized authorization from the absent parent is required.

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. Ten 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.

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. Postmaster Billing indicates USPS.com is also an excellent resource for obtaining the paperwork and locating acceptance facilities across the nation.

###

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 (twitter.com/usps), Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice), Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/usps), subscribe to our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/usps), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/usps) and view our Postal Postsblog (uspsblog.com).

For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.