PITTSBURGH – Are you planning international travel this year? Spring Break plans?  Cruises?  Canadian view of Niagara Falls?  With the Real ID deadline rapidly approaching, applying for your passport now might be a wise investment for the future traveler.  Customers will be served on a first come, first served basis.  No appointments are needed. (There is a limited capacity for acceptance.) 

NOTE: For appointments during regular passport processing hours, the U.S. Postal Service has made scheduling easier with the launch of the USPS Retail Customer Appointment Scheduler™ tool (RCAS) at http://www.usps.com/scheduler.  The RCAS™ tool provides customers with an easy, convenient way to schedule appointments to apply for a passport.  In addition, select Post Offices in the Western PA District are hosting Passport Fairs in March to assist customers in obtaining passports.

Passport Fairs are a great opportunity to get your passport without having to schedule an appointment. Simply go to any of the sites listed below on the date and time listed with all required documentation and apply for your passport. Appointments are required for any other dates other than the Passport Fair event.

Here is the list of Post Offices hosting fairs this week:

For the appointment, travelers need to bring with them the following items: 

• The completed DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport form, which can be found at the Department of State website at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html. Do not sign the form
• Proof of US citizenship
• Proof of identity (valid driver’s license, government employee ID, military ID)
• Photocopies of U.S. citizenship and identification documents (these will be sent with the application, but bring originals for proof documentation)
• Appropriate payment. Acceptable forms of payment can be found on the Department of State website. (Please note that neither debit nor credit cards are acceptable forms of payment by the Department of State)
• Appropriate passport photo, if passport photo services are not available at the selected Post Office location

Customers have the option of applying for a passport book (good for all international travel) or the passport card (good only for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda).

Passport fees:

The fees listed above must be paid with a personal check or money order. There is a $35 processing/acceptance fee and a $15 fee for photos, which can be paid for by cash, personal check, debit and credit cards or money order. The post office offers various expedited options in relation to your passport needs.

Passport applications for children under 16 have special requirements. Visit travel.state.gov for more information.

The Postal Service 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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