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 You are in: Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs > Bureau of Public Affairs > Bureau of Public Affairs: Press Relations Office > Press Releases (Other) > 2008 > June 
Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
June 30, 2008


Department of State Inaugurates Tucson Passport Center

Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick M. Kennedy and Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Janice L. Jacobs presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the opening of the Tucson Passport Center (TPC) in Tucson, Arizona on June 30. Tucson Mayor Robert E. Walkup, Tucson City Council Member Rodney Glassman, and Stanley, Inc. Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Nolan joined in the inauguration.

The Tucson Passport Center has printed and mailed over 90,000 passports since it began operations in May. The Center will be used to meet the increased demand for passports that is expected as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is fully implemented in June 2009. In June 2009, Americans will need a passport, passport card, or other approved document when entering or leaving the United States.

The printing and mailing of passports in Tucson and Hot Springs, Arkansas, along with the printing and adjudication of passports at our other agencies, will ensure that we have the capacity to meet the needs of American citizens for passports for many years to come. When operating at full capacity, we plan to produce up to 10 million passports annually at the Tucson Passport Center.

These new centers separate the printing from the processing and adjudication functions supported by the other centers across the nation. "It’s a smarter and more efficient way to work, a new model for how the Department of State provides passport services to American citizens. I’m so pleased we’re doing it in Tucson," said Ambassador Janice L. Jacobs. Stanley, Inc. is the contractor operating the Tucson Passport Center under State Department direction and supervision.

The Department of State will also produce Border Crossing Cards (BCCs) at the Tucson Passport Center beginning in October 2008. The Center is expected to produce yearly between 800,000 and 2 million Border Crossing Cards, the visa documents issued to Mexican citizens who live near the United States border.

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Released on June 30, 2008

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