Fair offers easier route to passport
Lines for passports have been long and processing times slow. To offer some relief, the Tampa Post Office held a Passport Fair, providing a one-stop shop for international travelers.
“There’s so many people trying to get a passport right now,” says Bridget Robertson, customer relations coordinator for Tampa’s United States Post Office. “All of our offices around Tampa Bay are swamped.”
Part of the backlog is due to new rules that require a passport for Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. Even with payment of an expedited fee, the wait time is up to four weeks. Routine processing takes up to ten weeks.
Tonya Barnes came to the fair after receiving a notice in the mail. She’s planning a trip for the beginning of August. With long delays in passport processing, she wanted to apply as soon as possible. She’d had problems getting an appointment at her local post office, so she decided to give the Passport Fair a try.
“There’s a lot of people in there,” Barnes said. “And it’s kind of a long wait, but they say they’re getting people out smoothly so we’ll see how long it takes.”
Barnes was number 407. Agents were on number 320. But organizers and attendees say the lines at the Passport Fair went much faster than at most post offices, with dozens of workers taking applications and customs agents on hand to answer questions. Passport photos were available for USD 15, and the Shriners provided hot dogs, fries, and pretzels.
“It’s not taking them very long to get through the whole process,” said USPS’s Robertson.
“It’s comfortable cause it’s air conditioned. We have 25 clerks who are processing, so it’s a very rapid turnover. [Having a fair], this way parents are both here, they’re both off work because both parents have to be present for children, so this makes it easier for families to get passports.”
Something else that’s making the new restrictions easier:. Because of the processing backlog, the State Department just relaxed the rules a bit, allowing travelers who have applied for a passport to go online and print out a confirmation. They can then use that receipt, along with a photo I.D., to travel to the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada through September 30th. After that, a passport will be required for those countries.
“It’s a common sense solution,” says U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Joe Smagowicz. “You still have to do your application, but go to that website, get confirmation you’ve applied and we’re going to use that as a travel document.”
Gail Ramsdell attended the fair because of a trip she’s planning to Mexico in February 2008. She has plenty of time, but wanted to get everything done early. Unfortunately, when she arrived at the fair, she was told she had an uncertified birth certificate. Ramsdell drove back home to Safety Harbor, found an old passport, along with her authenticated birth certificate, and drove back to the fair.
“I just think it’s nice because there’s everything here you need and there’s people here that can help you so that if you have problems it’s all taken care of in one place and in one day,” Ramsdell said.
This is the second Passport Fair the USPS has held since the beginning of this year. They’ve both been a success, with hundreds of passport applications processed in four hours each day.
Right now, passport fees are USD 67, plus a USD 30 processing fee. It’s another USD 60 to have your passport expedited.
