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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
March 17, 2006
Contact: Alison Sonntag
Phone: (360) 337-4646
No. 06-23
County Clerk Offers Passport
Processing at Kitsap Mall
PORT
ORCHARD, WA—The
Kitsap County Clerk’s office will once again be processing passport
applications at Kitsap Mall on April 3–6,
10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
According to Dave Peterson, Kitsap County Clerk, “This year we are
particularly happy to provide this extra convenience, because by the end of
2006 passports will be required for air and sea travel to Mexico, Canada,
the Caribbean and Bermuda. By the end of 2007 the requirement will be
extended to all border crossings.”
Peterson said that “since the consent of both parents is required for
children under age 14 for whom passports are sought, and all parties must
show up in person, we thought it would be easier for many parents to bring
their children to the mall during spring break than to try to bring them to
the Clerk’s Office in Port Orchard.”
To
obtain a passport for a child under 14 years of age, the parents must bring
a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate from the state where the
child was born; former passport, if there is one; two passport photos and
applicable fees. The child must be in attendance. If both parents cannot
appear, the parent who does must have written, notarized consent of the
absent parent or certified proof of sole custody of the child. The social
security number for the child is required on the passport application.
Adult passports are valid for ten years. An adult renewing his or her own
passport more than 15 years from date of issuance, or who was less than 16
years of age when the passport was obtained, must appear in person to renew.
However, they need only bring their former passport and two new passport
photos. Adult passports issued less than 15 years ago to a person who was
more than 16 years old at the time of issuance may be renewed by mail via
Form DS-82, saving the $30 local County Clerk fee.
The
cost for an adult passport is $67 payable to the Department of State plus
$30 payable to the County Clerk. For a child, the cost is $52 payable to the
Department of State plus $30 payable to the County Clerk. The passports take
about six weeks to arrive. If the passport is needed sooner, an
additional “Expedite Fee” of $60 per application, payable to the
Department of State for each passport, will return the passport in two or
three weeks. Payment to the Department of State must be by check or money
order. The $30 passport fee to the County Clerk may be paid by cash or
check.
In
the case of more than one passport application, all amounts to the
Department of State may be paid by a single check. All amounts to the County
Clerk may also be paid by a single check. The amounts due to the Department
of State and the Clerk’s Office may not be combined with each other.
Peterson indicated that his staff will be located in a vacant storefront
inside the mall close to the J. C. Penney store entrance, across from Sam
Goody on the mall’s main corridor.
More information may be obtained by calling the Clerk’s Office at (360)
337-7164, Extension 6700. Information is also available on the Clerk’s page
on the county’s website at
http://www.kitsapgov.com/clerk/passport.htm, or on the Department of
State website at
http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html.
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