Looking for The Local U.S. Passport Office Is Fast and Easy

by erin on February 23, 2010

One thing that everyone should know about getting a passport for the first time is that the first time applicant must go to the US passport office in person in order to apply. Locating a passport office is as easy as getting online and doing a simple search. In many cases, the local office will be located at the neighborhood post office.

The one thing that everyone can rest assured of is that there are no shortcuts when it comes to passport applications, especially for first time United States passport applicants. The forms all have to be filled out and all the right documentation must be included. This one document is how the government tracks who is coming and who is going and they make sure that everything is in line before that little blue book gets issued.

National Security has been dramatically increased ever since 9/11. Believe it or not, the government actually tries to make this process as easy as possible as there are quite a few local passport offices where the process can be completed. There really is no need to travel a great distance in order to get the application completed and submitted.

In many cases, the office is conveniently located at the local post office. They are also sometimes in other local government offices, libraries and county clerk offices. It will all depend on the area, but the can easily be found by checking online. If an international trip is on the horizon, start looking around to see how close the local office actually is.

Because there is the need to get a passport photo, it is important to check to see if the local office is capable of providing this service. This is not part of the fee structure and there will be a separate charge. While many of the passport offices do have this capability, some of the smaller ones do not and the photos will have to be obtained before ever heading over there to turn everything in.

Sometimes people have a need to go to one of the regional passport offices. Normally people that need a passport in less than two weeks will have to go to one of the regional offices. These offices are located in major metropolitan cities. Regional offices are located in cities like New York, Dallas, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others. A full list of regional centers can be found on the State Department website.

The bright side to the passport story is that the only time you need to go there in person is the first time. When the passport has to be renewed, everything can be done via the mail. As long as a passport is not lost, you will never have to go through this time consuming process again. Just download the forms, fill them out and send them in with the required documents.

Why it would be nice if the electronic age could be useful in avoiding the USA passport office, there is simply no way around it for a first time American passport applicant. These laws are in place for good reason and it all comes down to national security. If they made the process too easy, anyone could get a passport and just about anyone would be able to get into the country.

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