State Department To Open 6 New Passport Agencies In The US

The State Department’s new passport agencies will be in Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Orlando, Charlotte, San Antonio, and Cincinnati. The openings will help support those with “urgent travel needs” — but there’s no word yet on when they’ll open.

In a June 18 notice, the State Department highlighted that the agencies will be opened partly thanks to the help of its “congressional partners and other stakeholders.”

“The six additional facilities will expand our passport network to 35 agencies and centers and over 7,400 public passport acceptance facilities nationwide,” said the source.

What Should I Know About Passport Applications?

One of the major questions determining whether you need to visit an acceptance facility or a passport agency is how quickly you need your documentation turned around.

At agencies, an appointment and proof of travel within 14 days are required. They’re the place to go when foreign visas, first-time passports, and renewals are urgently needed. They don’t take passport photos for you, and same-day service isn’t guaranteed.

Travelers can visit acceptance facilities for requests within “normal processing” times. It’s the place to choose if you’re traveling sometime after three weeks ahead. At the facilities, you can expedite your application if you need to. Also, some places take walk-ins and do passport photos onsite.

You can find nearby acceptance facilities using the State Department’s designated search page. Local acceptance facilities could be post offices, libraries, or government offices. The authority claims “more than 99% of Americans already live within 25 miles of an acceptance facility.”

In its July 1 notice, the State Department said, “More Americans can travel abroad today than at any time in our history. In 1990, only 5% of Americans had a passport. Today, that number is 48%. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards — more than ever before.”