COLUMBIA – The Department of State has announced that new fees for the U.S. Passport Book, U.S. Passport Card and other passport services will be in effect on Tuesday, July 13. This increase does not apply to acceptance fees collected by the Postal Service (acceptance facility).  There are 83 designated passport acceptance Post Offices throughout the Greater South Carolina District, ZIP Codes 290-6 ready to accept your application. To find a passport acceptance office near you, go to www.travel.state.gov and click on “passports”, or visit usps.com and click on “locate a post office”.

Passport application fees are not only used to cover the cost of producing a U.S. Passport Book or U.S. Passport Card.  Fees also cover the costs of providing emergency services for American citizens in crisis situations overseas, such as the earthquake disaster in Haiti; helping Americans who have been the victims of crime while traveling or living abroad; providing support to families of American citizens who have died in a foreign country.

The schedule of new fees for passport application services is as follows:

* U.S. Dept. of State fees may be paid with a check or money order, payable to “U.S. Dept. of State”.
** USPS acceptance fee and photo fee may be paid with cash, credit or debit card, check or money order payable to “Postmaster.”

A U.S. Passport is not used just for travel anymore. It serves as proof of U.S. citizenship and identity. The U.S. Passport Book and U.S. Passport Card for adults are valid for ten years. Passports for minors under age 16 are valid for five years.

First time applicants can obtain Form DS-11, Application for Passport, at many Post Offices, or go to www.travel.state.gov and click on “passports” to download applications and instructions. Proof of identity (such as a valid driver’s license or government ID) and proof of U.S. citizenship (such as a certified birth certificate or Certificate of Naturalization) are required. Applicants must appear in person, including minors who must have both parents or legal guardians present evidence of identity.

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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, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.