- The State Department will open six new passport agencies to assist those with “urgent travel needs.”
- The new agencies will bring the total number to 35.
- The State Department did not share addresses or opening dates for the new facilities.
Travelers in a rush to get a passport will soon have more options.
The State Department will open six new passport agencies to assist those with “urgent travel needs,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday. The new facilities will be in these cities:
- Salt Lake City
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Orlando, Florida
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- San Antonio, Texas
- Cincinnati
Passport agencies and centers serve “customers by appointment only who have urgent travel to a foreign country in the next 14 calendar days, or need a foreign visa in the next 28 calendar days,” according to the State Department’s website. The new agencies will bring the total number to 35.
“While we undertake steps to establish these new agencies, we are issuing more passports than ever before while maintaining our passport processing times at our pre-pandemic levels,” Blinken said in a news release. “We thank Congress for its partnership and support, and we look forward to working with our congressional partners and other stakeholders to open these new facilities.”
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The State Department did not share addresses or opening dates for the new facilities. “We are in the initial stages of planning for these additional facilities and will provide updates in the future about specific locations and timelines for these new agencies,” a spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.
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Travelers can find a map of passport agencies and centers online. There are also more than 7,000 acceptance facilities – such as post offices – where those who don’t need urgent service can apply.
The news comes after the State Department opened a trial for online passport renewal earlier this month.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
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