U.S. Opening Additional Passport Facilities

April 2, 2008

U.S. Opening Additional Passport Facilities
April 2, 2008 – Business Travel News reports that the U.S. State Department has said they will open new passport facilities to avoid long processing times. Last summer many people applying for a passport experienced extensive delays following the implementation of the air portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

"In anticipation of another year of record passport demand, the Department of State has ramped up our production capability so that we can provide Americans with travel documents in a prompt and reliable way," said Steve Royster, spokesperson for consular affairs for the Department of State. "We’ve hired hundreds of new employees, we’re opening new facilities and streamlining our production."

According to Business Travel News, a new printing facility in Tucson will start operations this month. Additional customer service offices for travelers with special requests or a short time until departure are planned for Detroit, Minneapolis and Dallas, but do not have scheduled opening dates. Royster stated that these locations were chosen because of the number of travelers in the areas and their distance from other facilities.