| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC December 9, 2005 The Department Reopens the New Orleans Passport AgencyThe Department of State will officially celebrate the reopening of the New Orleans Passport Agency on Tuesday, December 13, at 10:00 a.m., at One Canal Place, 365 Canal Street, 13th floor. The reopening celebration will include a ceremonial Ribbon-Cutting event with remarks by Ambassador Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, and Don Hutchinson, Executive Assistant to the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. The New Orleans Passport Agency, which opened in 1921, has a staff of 165 employees and serves 14 states and Puerto Rico. Since moving to its current location in 1999, the New Orleans Passport Agency has adjudicated in excess of 1 million passports each year. The reopening of this facility will greatly improve the Department’s ability to continue to meet the travel needs of Americans and assure the Department’s continued commitment to the City of New Orleans. Tuesday’s ceremonial reopening represents an important step on the road to full recovery for the agency. Due to the hurricane’s devastation and personal circumstances, less than half of the Agency’s staff is able to return to work at this time. As a result, while the Agency will begin production operations again immediately, public walk-in service will not yet resume. Passport applicants in the New Orleans area may continue to submit applications at local acceptance facilities, such as post offices, clerk of court, and municipal offices. Additional information on applying for a passport, including locations of acceptance facilities, passport requirements, passport application forms, and other travel-related information can be accessed through the Department of State’s website at: travel.state.gov
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