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EFFECTIVE March 25, 2020 – ALL PASSPORT PROCESSING AT CITY HALL IS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED
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Please call ahead to make sure a passport agent is available at City Hall (907-895-4656).
City Hall is open 8:00-5:00, M-F, but a passport agent may only be available between 11:00 and 3:00.
Allow ample time to process applications and deliver to the Post Office, especially if expedite service is required. Mail goes out of Delta at 3:00pm each day. One application takes about ten minutes to process.
Under special circumstances, passport agents will be available outside of normal business hours, including Saturdays. These appointments require mayor authorization.
Passport application forms are available at City Hall or can be downloaded off the Internet (travel.state.gov). Customers must apply in person with identification and necessary documents.
The busy season for passport processing is mid-March through August. Turnaround is currently six to eight weeks. If passport is needed sooner than eight weeks, applicants must pay for expedite service (two to three week turnaround) or schedule an appointment in Seattle to apply in person (expedite fees still apply). * See expedite information below.
U.S. Passport Book or Card? A book is valid for travel to all international destinations via air, land, and sea. A card is valid for re-entry at land border crossings and sea ports-of-entry when returning to the U.S. from Mexico, Canada, Caribbean, and Bermuda. Both meet the October 1, 2020 federal mandate to access federal buildings, military installations, and board commercial flights.
ADULT and FIRST TIME passport application
ADULT PASSPORT RENEWAL instructions
Driving through Canada? Those wishing to take advantage of fast-clearance lanes should carry passports. Children under the age of 16 are not required to carry passports as long as they have proof of citizenship (birth certificates) and are traveling with a parent who is a U.S. citizen. Proper ID and a notarized letter of consent from an absent parent are also necessary. Carry proof of name change if different from name listed on birth certificate.
Entry into Canada is solely determined by the Canada Border Services Agency (204-983-3500) in accordance with Canadian law. Entry into the United States is determined by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (907-774-2252), not the Department of State Passport Agency.
* Expedited Service – Applications are sent via priority mail for faster turnaround (10 days to 3 weeks). Applicants can schedule an appointment to appear at the Regional Passport Agency in Seattle during business hours (8:00-1:00, M-F). Schedule flight, allowing time for the stopover in Seattle. The National Passport Information Center’s automated phone system (1-877-487-2778 or 1-888-874-7793 TDD/TYY) is available 24/7.
What is REAL ID?
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” The Act established requirements for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification (ID) cards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting licenses and ID cards from states that do not meet the requirements.
Do I have to get a REAL ID?
REAL ID is voluntary. Alaskans will have a choice between a standard driver’s license or a REAL ID license. Alaska Commercial Driver’s Licenses must be REAL ID only.
Beginning in October 2020, standard driver’s licenses and State-issued identification cards, will no longer be valid identification to enter federal facilities, access military bases, and board commercial airplanes. You need a driver’s license, but you do not need a Real ID driver’s license if you already have another Federally-approved ID:
• Driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles
• U.S. passport or passport card
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• DHS-designated enhanced driver’s license
• Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation worker identification credential
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
Passport or Real ID Card?
Passport Book = Meets October mandates plus international land, sea, and air travel.
Passport Card = Meets October mandates and border crossings, but not international air travel.
Real ID Card = Meets October mandates, but not any international travel.
Passport books are valid for travel to international destinations via air, land, and sea. Passport cards are valid for re-entry at land border crossings and sea ports-of-entry when returning to the United States from Mexico, Canada, Caribbean, and Bermuda, but not international air travel. Real ID driver’s licenses and identification cards indicate identity and citizenship and are accepted to enter federal buildings, access military installations, and board commercial flights (October 1, 2020 mandate), but they cannot be used for international travel because they do not meet Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requirements. The Enhanced ID is valid for border crossings as is a passport, but the Real ID is not.
Visit your local DMV office, their website (www.doa.alaska.gov/dmv) or contact the TSA or border patrol.