USPS set to host 'passport fairs'

Twenty-five Vermont post offices will be staying open a little late Saturday.

The post offices — along with 23 in New Hampshire — are holding “passport fairs” organized by the United States Postal Service to help families who may want to get passports under new travel regulations.

Flying to and from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean now requires a passport, according the Postal Service. While land or sea crossings to those destinations do not require passports, they do require proof of citizenship.

“It’s closing in on vacation time,” said Todd Skulnik, a Postal Service spokesman based in New Hampshire. “We don’t like to see people caught short, needing their passport and realizing they don’t have one. Saturday’s a good day, especially for a family. Both parents have to be present for a child under 16 if you want to apply for a passport.”

Skulnik said hours will vary from post office to post office, but refreshments will be available at each.

Passports cost USD 100 in fees for adults and USD 85 in fees for children under 16.

People can fill out applications online at www.usps.com/passport, print them out and bring them to the Post Office to save time, but Skulnik said to be sure not to sign the application before bringing it in. The application must be signed at the post office, in front of an “acceptance employee.”

Photos can also be taken at the Post Office for an extra USD 15.

The process can be completed in under an hour, Skulnik said, and the State Department usually mails out passports within four to six weeks of receiving a complete application.

People seeking just the proof of citizenship required for trips to Canada can instead apply for the new passport card, which Skulnik said was designed as a less expensive alternative, costing USD 45 for an adult or USD 35 for a child. Skulnik said the State Department likely won’t mail out the cards until late spring.

“They’re planning on changing the rules again in ’09 to require a passport for any and all crossings,” Skulnik said, explaining that the passport cards were likely to only be a “temporary fix.”

Skulnik said passport applications are not broken down by state, but that a total of 12 million were processed in 2006 and 16 million in 2007 and that the Post Office submits about 70 percent of the applications.