Needing a passport for a summer vacation? Look no further than Room 236 of Sage Hall, the location of UNT-International’s Passport Office in the Study Abroad Office.
The Study Abroad Office began processing passports in 2011. The number increased after the Tarrant County District Clerk Office permanently shut down passport operations in six locations last year, making the Passport Office at UNT an easier alternative to going to a Dallas Passport Acceptance Facility. The office handled a total of 549 passports from Sept. 1, 2014, to Aug. 31, 2015, but has already processed nearly 400 this fiscal year, said Brittany Samko, administrative coordinator of Study Abroad and UNT’s primary passport acceptance agent.
“No appointment is needed at UNT, and if the application is filled out online prior to coming to the office, it takes only five to 10 minutes to complete the application,” Samko said.
But don’t wait until the last week before your flight outside of the U.S. to get a passport. The typical processing time for new and renewing U.S. passports is four to six weeks, although applicants can pay an extra $60 expedite fee directly to the State Department to receive a passport within three weeks.
Start by accessing forms on the State Department website, and print and fill out the DS-11 form with black ink. Then be sure to take the unsigned form and these things with you to the UNT Passport Office:
- A certified copy of your birth certificate. If you were born in Texas, you may obtain the copy at any county clerk’s office, not just the office in the county where you were born, Samko said. If you have a Texas birth certificate, you can only submit an abstract for it if the letter “I” appears next to the date the abstract was filed as proof of citizenship. Abstracts for birth certificates issued in California are never accepted by the State Department, so a certified copy is best, regardless of where you were born. If you have an expired passport, you may use it as proof of citizenship.
- Your current permanent Texas driver’s license for identification. If you have a temporary or out-of-state license, bring a second identification card, such as a student or staff ID.
- Check or money order for the application fee to the State Department. The cost is $110 for adults and $80 for minors ages 15 and under for a passport for all travel outside of the U.S. A passport card, which is valid only for travel by land and sea, including cruise ships, to Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico, costs $30 for adults and $15 for minors ages 15 and under. Many people option for both the passport and card, which is $140 for adults and $95 for minors.
- A debit or credit card to pay for UNT Passport Office processing fees — $25 execution fee and $12 photo fee, although you may bring your own photo for your passport.
If your children will be going with you on your trip, they must come to the UNT Passport Office with you if they are younger than 16. Both parents must come to the office with their children unless one parent has a completed and notarized DS-3053 form, which is available on the State Department website, and a copy of the parent’s ID.
Still have questions? Call the office at 940-565-2207.
Originally posted in InHouse, 4-11-16