KY Post Offices holding passport fairs this weekend

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) –  Several Post Offices in Kentucky will hold passport fairs this weekend for first-time passport applicants or for those seeking to renew a passport. Locations and times below.

If you’re planning to travel abroad in 2016, there are several things travelers should be aware of when it comes to passports:

Check the expiration date on your U.S. passport. Many countries require that your passport have as much as six months’ validity remaining for entry.
The Department of State is expecting a surge in passport renewals this year due to millions of passports set to expire. Ten years ago, the United States passed a law requiring its citizens to have a passport for travel to all countries, including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The increase demand in passport renewals is anticipated to create processing delays. It may now take about six weeks for a passport renewal.

Adding to the uptick in passport applications is travelers with state driver’s licenses that don’t meet requirements of REAL ID Act – a 2005 law that requires stricter standards for state-issued IDs, including driver’s licenses. As more states adopt the stricter standards, driver’s licenses may not be adequate proof of identity to allow boarding of a domestic flight. Homeland Security anticipates adoption of this policy at U.S. Airports as soon as January 2018.

The following Post Offices will hold passport fairs on Saturday, March 19:

LOCATION                              ADDRESS                     CITY                            ZIP                              HOURS
Lexington Main Office    1088 Nandino Blvd            Lexington KY                     40511                   10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Louisville Main Office     1420 Gardiner Ln               Louisville KY                     40213                   9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Jeffersontown Station     3801 Billtown Rd               Louisville KY                     40299                   9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Shively Station                  3131 Crums Ln                    Louisville KY                     40216                   9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Hikes Point Station          3050 Hunsinger Ln           Louisville KY                     40220                  9:00 am – 3:00 pm
St Matthews Station         4600 Shelbyville Rd          Louisville KY                    40207                   9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Frankfort                            1210 Wilkerson Blvd         Frankfort KY                     40601                   9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Bowling Green                   311  11th Street Ave           Bowling Green KY            42101                    9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Owensboro                         54 Bon Harbor Hill           Owensboro KY                  42301                    9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Elizabethtown                    2934 Dolphin Dr               Elizabethtown KY            42701                    9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Ashland                               1140 Carter Ave                 Ashland KY                        41101                     9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Prospect                              9523 US HWY 42              Prospect KY                       40059                   9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Paris                                     201 W 8th St                      Paris KY                              40361                   9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Morehead                            700 W First St                   Morehead KY                    40351                    9:00 am – 2:00 pm
London                                1760 Hwy 192 W               London KY                         40741                    9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Hazard                                 201 Black Gold Blvd         Hazard KY                         41701                     10:30 am – 3:30 pm
Monticello                           65 Barnes Dr                      Monticello KY                  42633                   10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Customers have the option of applying for a passport book (good for all international travel) or the passport card (good only for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda).

Passport fees:

Adults (Age 16 Years and Older)                    Minors (Under Age 16)
Passport Card                                  $30                                                                 $15
Passport Book                                 $110                                                                $80
Passport Card and Book               $140                                                                $95
The above fees must be paid with a personal check or money order. (No exceptions!)  In addition to the above costs, there is also a $25 processing/acceptance fee plus a $15 fee for photos, which can be paid for by cash, personal check, debit and credit cards or money order. All of the Post Offices above offer passport photo services.

Travelers are encouraged to apply for a passport several months before they are scheduled to travel overseas. Again, the average time for passport applications and renewals is six weeks. However, for an additional fee, the State Department will expedite the application and process it within three weeks.

To apply for a passport, travelers need to complete Passport Application Form DS-11 (unsigned) and provide one of the following: a U.S. birth certificate from the Department of Vital Statistics (not a certificate of birth) or naturalization papers. Applicants must also show either a valid driver’s license, a previous or current U.S. passport book or card, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, military I.D. or a federal, state or municipal government employee I.D. card. Applicants 15 & under must be present with both parents unless consent is given; ages 16 & 17 require only one parent be present.

For more information about passport application requirements and to download forms, visit the State Department’s travel website at www.travel.state.gov.

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