Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello and East Windsor Mayor Janice S. Mironov are sponsoring two “Passport Days” for residents.
The first will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday April 26, and the second will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday May 17, both at the East Windsor Municipal Building located at 16 Lanning Boulevard.
The county clerk and her staff will visit the East Windsor Municipal Building to process U.S. passport applications on-site for the residents of East Windsor and all other parts of the county.
“Travelers who have not yet applied for a passport, should not hesitate, because the overall demand for passports has been rising due to changes in U.S. travel requirements, which now requires travelers to have passports for air, land and sea travel outside of the United States, including Caribbean islands, Canada and Mexico,” said County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello.
Passport photos are also available on-site. Residents are encouraged to call 609-989-6473 to reserve a specific time. Walk-in applicants will be accommodated but may have to wait.
To apply for a U.S. passport, residents will need (1) Proof of U.S. citizenship in the form of a state certified birth certificate, a U.S. naturalization certificate or a previous U.S. passport; (2) Proof of identity in the form of a current driver’s license or state issued identification card.
A U.S. passport is valid for 10 years for adults and five years for minors. The new rates for a passport is $110 for adults and $80 for minors plus a processing fee of $25. The federal government requires a separate check for each passport application. Passport photos will be taken on-site for $15 or $10 for senior citizens and minors. The clerk’s office will accept checks or money orders for payment. No cash or credit cards will be accepted.
Effective April 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of State requires the full names of a passport applicant’s parents to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship. The new requirements will apply to all U.S. passport applicants, regardless of age. Under the new federal mandate, certified birth certificates missing parental information will not be accepted as proof of U.S. citizenship.
For children, federal passport guidelines now require both parents to appear in person – or one parent in person with required documentation – when applying for a passport for a child under 16.
For those who will be unable to participate in this passport event, the Mercer County Clerk’s office processes U.S. passport applications on a regular basis, at the clerks’s office, 240 West State Street in Trenton and is open from Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays until 6:30 p.m.
In addition, one can also apply for a passport at the Mercer County Connection at the Hamilton Square Shopping Center on Highway 33 and Paxson Avenue in Hamilton Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Passport photos are available at both locations.
For further information on US Passport requirements, and needed personal documents to obtain a passport, residents should visit www.mercercounty.org and click on “county clerk” or call 609-989-6473.
