Effective immediately, the Administrative Support Manual (ASM), section 422.2, Passport Application Acceptance Service at Designated Post Offices, is revised to comply with Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 51.22, Passport Agents and Passport Acceptance Agents. This Department of State rule reorganizes, restructures, and updates passport regulations to: (1) make it easier for users to access information; (2) better reflect current practices and changes in statutory authority; and (3) remove outdated provisions. Basically, the revisions are designed to bring greater clarity to passport policy and practice and to present it in a less cumbersome way.
Because section 422.2 is completely revised, this article provides a summary of the revisions.
Summary of Changes to the Administrative Support Manual (ASM)
Changes made throughout 422.2 include the following:
n Changed references from “State Department” to “Department of State.”
n Updated references to Department of State forms.
n Updated references to form DS-19, which is obsolete, and has been replaced by DS-5504, Passport Re-Application Form, and DS-4085, Application for Additional Visa Pages.
n Updated reference to form DSP-82, which has been changed to DS-82, Application for Passport by Mail.
n Replaced the word “execution” with “accepted.”
n Replace the words “execution fee” with “acceptance fee.”
The remaining changes are listed by subsection:
422.21 Applicability
n Added excerpts from 22 CFR 51.22 to describe policy and procedures for Postal Service™ acceptance of passport applications.
422.24 Required Postal Service–Department of State Coordination
n Revised to show that requests for new passport sites are coordinated between Department of State Headquarters and Postal Service Headquarters.
n Revised to show changes in the relationships between Postal Service districts, Post Offices™, and the Department of State Regional Passport Agency offices.
422.25 Determining Sites and Establishing Passport Application Acceptance Facilities
n Revised to show that Headquarters, instead of local offices, maintains the Facilities Database and notifies the Regional Passport Agency offices of any changes.
422.26 Preparation at Newly Authorized Locations
n Meter settings have been removed from acceptance locations because this service is no longer provided.
n Web-based training, specifically the Passport Application Acceptance Course (Course 41201-18), is available through the Postal Service Automated Enrollment System.
n The Department of State requires employees who accept passport applications to complete Course 41201-18.
n The Department of State no longer provides paper copies of the Passport Agent’s Reference Guide (PARG).
n The PARG is available on the Retail Marketing website for downloading by authorized Postal Service Passport Acceptance offices.
n Passport Acceptance offices have greater flexibility in providing hours of service. As long as they provide 5 hours of service a day, Monday through Friday, local offices do not have to be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
n Passport Acceptance offices should offer service on weekends when staffing levels can support passport application services.
422.27 Application Acceptance Guidelines
n The Postal Service accepts no-fee passport applications (requests for government-sponsored travel); the Postal Service collects the acceptance fee, but does not collect any fees payable to the Department of State.
n The following Account Identifier Code (AIC) has been authorized for passport photo fees: AIC 241, Photo Services.
n The guidelines for payment of passport fees and financial procedures have been updated in accordance with the International Mail Manual, 371.5, Procedures for Cashing Money Orders Issued by Foreign Countries.
n Credit cards are accepted for Postal Service transactions but not for payment of Department of State fees.
n Payment of Express Mail® fees for return shipment of a customer’s passport can be included in the payment made payable to the Department of State.
422.28 End-of-Day and Individual Clerk Closeout Procedures
n Procedures for the processing and retention of PS Form 5659, Daily Passport Application (DS-11) Transmittal, have been changed.
n PS Form 5659 provides supporting documentation for PS Form 1412, Daily Financial Report.
n Discrepancies in over-payment and under-payment are handled by the Department of State instead of the Postal Service, and the Department of State will contact the affected customer.
n Administrative discrepancies are handled by the Department of State instead of the Postal Service.
n Routine service and expedited service delivery times have been updated to coincide with the PARG.
422.29 Reports, Records, Discrepancies, Forms, and Supplies
n Changed reporting and record-keeping procedures for Regional Passport Agency offices and acceptance Post Offices.
n Updated procedures for ordering forms and supplies.
We will incorporate the complete text of these revisions into the next printed version of the ASM and into the online update, available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n In the left-hand column, under “Essential Links,” click PolicyNet.
n Click Manuals.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Retail Marketing,
Retail Products and Services, 10-22-09
