GETTING A PASSPORT

WHERE:

There are two ways to apply in person for a U.S. passport in Los Angeles County. In both cases, the passport is sent to you by mail.

1. U.S. Passport Agency office (open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.)

Los Angeles Federal Building, 13th Floor

11000 Wilshire Blvd.

West Los Angeles

2. About 50 post offices also are authorized to accept applications. Call the Passport Agency at 213-209-7075 for the location of the one nearest you. (Outside Los Angeles County, applications may also be filed at some county courthouses.)

WHAT’S NEEDED:

1. Evidence of citizenship, which may be a previous U.S passport or a naturalization certificate. If you were born in the U.S., bring a certified birth certificate showing your full name, date and place of birth, with the seal of the city, county or state custodian of records. Hospital birth records are not accepted. If applying at the Passport Agency, you merely show the document to a passport agent. If applying at a post office, the document will be mailed to the agency, then returned to you in the mail with the passport.

2. Two identical passport photographs (2 inches square) taken within the last six months, showing your full face on a plain, white background. They can be either in color or in black and white. The telephone directory lists businesses that take such photos.

3. Personal ID, which can be a valid driver’s license; government, military or employment photo ID card; recent passport; or naturalization certificate.

4. The exact fee in cash, personal check or money order. Make the check out to: “Passport Services.”

COST:

18 or over: $42--valid for 10 years.

Under 18: $27--valid for five years.

HOW LONG IT TAKES:

The passport should arrive in the mail in less than 10 days, but it may take up to three weeks before or during the peak summer travel season. In an emergency, passport agents at the West Los Angeles office may be able to process the passport more quickly. The passport should arrive more quickly if you apply at the Passport Agency rather than a post office, but there likely will be long lines there, especially in the peak months.

OBTAINING RENEWALS BY MAIL:

If you have an American passport issued within the last 12 years, and you were at least 16 years old when you got that passport, you may obtain a new one by mail using form DSP82, available from the Passport Agency or at authorized post offices. The fee is $35 and the passport will be valid for 10 years.

PHONE INFORMATION:

Recorded: 213-209-7070; for passport clerks: 213-209-7075

Source: U.S. Passport Agency