Need a passport in a hurry? It’ll soon be easier if you live in one of these US cities.
Travelers in a rush to get a passport will soon have more options.
The U.S. 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 located in the following cities:
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Orlando, Florida
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- San Antonio, Texas
- Cincinnati, Ohio
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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.”
Directional signs for passport control are seen at Charles de Gaulle airport, operated by Aeroports de Paris, in Roissy, France, April 11, 2019.
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 [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Need a passport in a hurry? It’ll soon be easier if you live in one of these US cities.