LOS ANGELES — To help customers who otherwise cannot schedule an appointment for passport services, select post offices in the Los Angeles area are hosting walk-in passport fairs.

Postal clerks will be on hand to provide passport information and to accept passport applications, with no appointments necessary. Applicants can even have their passport photo taken at the event for $15.

To help speed up the process, customers should fill out forms ahead of time. Application forms and 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. Customers can also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at (877) 487-2778.

To apply for a passport, applicants need a valid form of photo identification and proof of citizenship.

Proof of identification — You may submit items such as the following containing your signature and a photograph that is a good likeness of you: Current or previous U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship or a current and valid driver’s license, government ID or military ID.

**A photocopy of the identification – front and back – must be submitted with your passport application. Many post offices do provide photocopy service for an added fee.

Proof of citizenship includes any one of the following:

1. Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county, or state
2. Naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship, and
3. An expired passport

For anyone needing to make an appointment at a passport office that normally only accepted appointments by phone, the USPS has introduced the USPS Retail Customer Appointment Scheduler™ (RCAS™) on http://www.usps.com/scheduler.

Once customers have a passport, they'll need a safe way to carry it. USPS Passport Wallets are fashionable wallets, available in black or brown leather, that allow important items, such as a passport, cash, an ID, and up to seven credit cards, to be carried in one holder. The wallets are available at passport acceptance offices and at usps.com/shop.

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

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