INDIANAPOLIS, IN — If you are planning a vacation in the near future, the U.S. Postal Service is recommending that our customers submit their passport application at one of the select Post Offices below, and avoid the price hike in passport fees on April 2.

The U.S. Department of State is increasing the passport acceptance or execution fee from $25 to $35 to better cover the costs of processing passport applications.

The $10 execution fee increase only applies to U.S. passport applicants using the DS-11 form, such as first-time applicants over 16, children under 16, and applicants who re-apply after reporting their previous passport lost or stolen.

The $10 fee increase does not apply to adults eligible to renew their passport by mail using the DS-82 form.

If your travel plans include visiting Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean or Bermuda anytime soon, then you will need a passport. Current regulations state in addition to presenting a valid passport book when returning to the United States by air, you’ll now need to present a U.S. passport at land borders and sea ports of entry to return home.

To make obtaining a new passport or renewing your old one an easy and convenient experience, the following Post Offices will host a Passport Day on Saturday, March 17, 2018. Please call the individual Post Offices for hours of operation.                                                                                                                

Post Office	Post Office
Gary-Merrillville Goshen Knox Mishawaka Monticello South Bend Syracuse Brownsburg Franklin Greenfield Lebanon Martinsville Ninevah Tipton Westfield Griffith Hammond-Main Hammond-Munster Hobart La Porte Michigan City Portage Schererville Winchester IND-Park Fletcher IND-Castleton	Whiting Auburn Columbia City Decatur Delphi Gas City Liberty Logansport Marion New Castle New Haven Portland Noblesville Bloomington Brazil Brownstown Clinton Jasper Madison Paoli Sullivan Washington Fort Wayne—Main IND-Eastgate IND-Southport IND-Nora

The U.S. Department of State is reporting approximately six weeks for processing routine passports from the time of application.

Expedited processing of the passport application by the Department of State is available for an additional cost. This includes overnight delivery of the application by Priority Mail Express both to and from the Department of State. With the faster processing, customers should receive their passport approximately three weeks from the time of application.

Current passport fees are $135 total for adults (16 years and older) with a separate payment of $25 to the Postal Service for its processing fee, and $110 paid to the Department of State for the passport application fee. For persons under 16, the total cost is $105, which includes a $25 processing fee to the Postal Service and $80 to the State Department. The Postal Service also offers a passport photo service at a cost of $15.

The application must be paid by cash or check. Credit or debit cards, as well as cash or checks, may be used to cover the cost of photos and acceptance fees.

To help the passport application process go smoothly and efficiently, the Postal Service recommends the following;

• Bring in proper proof of American citizenship. This must be either a certified birth certificate issued by the city, country 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 in proof of identity. This must be either a previous U.S. passport, a naturalization certificate; a certificate of citizenship; or a current valid driver’s license, a government ID or military photo ID.
• Passport photograph services will be available on site for a fee of $15.
• To save time in this process, customers can download a passport application at the Department of State website: www.travel.state.gov.
• All applicants must appear in person (including minors). Applicants under age 16 must appear with both parents. If one parent is not available, a notarized authorization from the absent parent is required.

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