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RENEWING OR APPLYING FOR A PASSPORT
ANDREA SACHS SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
Sunday, October 1, 2000 ; Page E08

There are two main categories of passport seekers: rushed or not, first-time holders or renewals. Non-pressed travelers of any stripe can follow the slow-track process as outlined on the State Department's Web site, http://travel.state.gov /passport_services.html. (See details below.) Those departing within three weeks, however, can use expedited service offered by the government or one of several online concerns, which will drop off the paperwork at the appropriate agency and retrieve the passport for time-stressed applicants.

Employing the latter group is a bit like flying first class: You can skip to the front of the line--for a price....American Passport Express (800-841-6778, www.americanpassport.com) offers three types of service: urgent expedited (24 hours), express (three to four business days) and regular (at least a week).

If you have some time to spare, you can apply in person or by mail at a regional passport outpost (the State Department supplies a list of Washington-area places) and receive your passport within six weeks. But depending on your situation, application requirements vary. The agency's Web site offers info on the process and auxiliary issues, such as how to replace a stolen passport or add extra pages. The National Passport Information Center provides guidance, for a fee, at 900-225-5674 (35 cents a minute for automated service or $1.05 a minute for a live operator) or 888-362-8668 ($4.95 flat rate).

Here's a review of the types of services available:

Expedited Service: First-Time Applicants and Renewals To be eligible for rush service at the Washington Passport Agency (1111 19th St. NW), you must be traveling within 21 days and must schedule an appointment through its 24-hour automated service (202-647-0518). Expedited service is available for both first-time applicants and renewals who meet these criteria. (Renewals also can be done by mail--follow directions for "Renewals: Non-Expedited," below, but add the rush fee and two-way overnight delivery cost.)

Expedited service costs $35--on top of the $60 fee for first-time applicants 16 and older, or $40 for renewals--and requires proof of your upcoming departure (i.e., itinerary, plane tickets, etc.). Other required materials for new applicants: proof of U.S. citizenship (birth or naturalization certificate, consular report of birth abroad, etc.), proof of identity (valid driver's license, work or student ID, etc.--but not Social Security cards) and two identical, 2-by-2-inch photos taken within the past six months. Expedited renewers need to bring their most recent passport, two passport photos, proof of departure and applicable fees...

Online or on-call passport services also process all kinds of passport applications, but at a faster clip--24 hours or less--and greater cost. The bulk of the procedure can be done from your desk--from downloading forms to signing for your courier-delivered passport--though first-timers must ink their forms before an authorized agent at a local office....American Passport Express offers similar service with prices ranging from $245 (first-time passport, 24 hours, includes government fee) to $139 (renewal). Bottom line: You'll pay at least double the government's fee for expedited service, but you won't languish in line.

First-Time Applicants: Non-Expedited Service

First-timers who are not seeking expedited service must apply at a passport acceptance facility or agency in person, as do those whose passport was lost, stolen or damaged, or expired and was issued more than 15 years ago. Minors ages 13 to 17 and adults applying for a child 12 or younger must also appear in person.

A host of passport acceptance facilities--which include post offices and circuit courts, among others--accept first-time applicants during daily drop-in hours. After you fill out the requisite form (DSP-11) and provide the necessary documents (described under Expedited Service), your passport will be mailed to you within six weeks.

Additional details, including a complete list of acceptable and necessary documents, are outlined on the back of the form, which can be found at any passport agency or affiliated office or can be downloaded from http://travel.state.gov/download_applications.html. In D.C., the post offices at 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and 4005 Wisconsin Ave. NW offer these services.

Renewals: Non-Expedited Non-expedited passport renewals can be ordered by mail--as long as you possess your most recent passport, which must have been issued after your 16th birthday and within the past 15 years. To renew, send form DSP-82 (you can download it or pick it up, as described above), your previous passport, two identical passport photos as described above and $40 to: National Passport Center, P.O. Box 371971, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15250-7971. And don't worry, they'll return your old world-weary passport with your brand-spanking new one.