A passport office is a government office that accepts and processes passport applications. The process differs slightly between countries, but in general the rules and how they are applied are the same. In a passport office the application, identification and fees are accepted, and then everything is later verified. In about six weeks a passport is mailed to the applicant’s home.
The main purpose of a passport office is to accept applications, documents and fees for processing. Procedures may vary between countries and even between different types of offices in the same country. In the United States there are two kinds of passport offices, including regional offices and passport acceptance offices.
Regional offices are large centers located in a limited number of locations throughout the U.S. and are designed to provide complete passport services. This includes the actual processing of paperwork. People who need a passport in less than two weeks, who have unusual situations or paperwork irregularities should go to one of these offices. There, the staff has special training and resources that enable them to deal with complicated situations.
There are also thousands of passport acceptance offices throughout the country. These facilities are combined with other government offices such as libraries and post offices to expedite the passport application process. In these shared offices, the typicall procedure is for the applicant to submit all paperwork to a person in the office who has been trained in receiving passport application documents. This type of passport office normally does little more than accept documents, check them against a list of required documents, and issue a receipt to the applicant. Processing is performed at the regional office.
In a regional passport office, documents are taken in, application and fees are accepted, and all paperwork is checked for completeness. People who have problems with paperwork can schedule an appointment with a worker who is able to help resolve a variety of issues, including missing documents or atypical documentation. During the appointment at the passport office, the applicant is assisted in resolving any errors or omissions that could potentially prevent a passport from being issued. Sometimes this requires the applicant to leave and return with specific documents, but often the problem can be handled on the spot by the passport agent.
After the initial part of the process is complete, personnel in the regional passport office will review the documents to ensure they are complete and valid. Once everything is determined to be in order, a passport will be issued and mailed to the applicant. Some regional offices can also provide a passport card immediately to allow travel in certain countries and can be used instead of a passport.