Apply for your Passport or Passport Card with our help
You can get assistance to complete your passport application and submit it to the US Department of State with the Library's new Passport Acceptance Office Service. Please note that the service is available BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. No walk-in Passport Acceptance services can be offered.
We do not currently accept applications for assistance with renewing passports that should be renewed using form DS-82 which applicants may fill and send without an acceptance facility. Please carefully review the instructions on passport form DS-82 (see link below) to determine whether you should submit a DS-82 on your own.
We can only offer assistance with first-time passports and with passport renewals that require form DS-11. Typically DS-11 should be used for first-time applications or when your previous passport was:
- Issued before your 16th birthday
- Issued more than 15 years ago.
- Damaged, lost, or stolen.
- Issued in your previous name, and you do not have a legal document like a marriage license to prove your legal name change.
When none of the above apply, and you are not applying for your first passport, you can usually use DS-82 to apply for an Adult passport renewal and skip the Acceptance Facility. Adult passport renewal form DS-82 and the option to renew online are available at https://www.usa.gov/renew-adult-passport.
Materials to bring with you
Please note that you will need to provide originals of most documents that you will be bringing with you. To give one example, a photocopy of a birth certificate on its own is not acceptable.
Everyone who is applying for a passport book or card must attend in person.
1- Adults
Adults will need to bring materials to support their citizenship status and their identity. A DS-11 with the appropriate forms completely and correctly filled will usually save time.
Adult applicants should study https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html to determine what proof of citizenship and identification they should bring.
2 - Minors under 16
Minors under 16 will need to have evidence of US citizenship. Minors under 16 will need to have all parents who are listed on their birth certificate either present in person or accounted for and parents' consent to the issuance of the minors' passport shown or accounted for. The responsible adult(s) will need to show evidence of parental relationship, and of their own ID.
When one parent cannot be present, cannot be traced, or is deceased, or in the cases of adoption, or of third parties applying on behalf of a child, further forms and documentation will be required.
Please check
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/under-16.html for full guidelines.
We will ask you about proof of parental consent documentation when we call you, when appropriate.
3 - Minors aged 16-17
Minors aged 16-17 may present their own acceptable forms of ID and evidence of US Citizenship. If the applicant does not have their own ID, then identity can be established via parental relationship, but the parent/legal guardian would have to be present in person with their own ID.
Applications by minors aged 16-17 must show at least one legal parent or legal guardian is aware that the minor applicant is applying for a passport.
The Passport Agency may request a notarized letter of parental consent if parental awareness is not indicated on the application. Please check
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/16-17.html
for further guidelines.
Please carefully follow the instructions at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/lhow-apply.html prior to your appointment. We will ask you some basic questions before confirming your appointment, to try to make sure you bring the correct documentation, but please carefully note that bringing what you will need will remain your responsibility.
Paying for your Passport Application
In order to pay for your passport application, you will need to make separate payments to the U.S Department of State and to the Library.
Each individual passport application will need to have payment to the U.S. Department of State included as part of the application packet. This will need to be either in the form of a check or a money order. Cash and cards may not be used for the U.S. Department of State Fees. The check or money order must be made out to the U.S. Department of State for the exact amount. This would include passport application fees, and any optional expedite or 1-2 day delivery or file search fees requested.
You will also need to pay fees to Plainfield Public Library as the Passport Acceptance Facility. This would comprise the execution fees for the applications, payment for any passport photos you may require us to make for you, and any additional fees incurred. Passport Acceptance facility fees must be paid on site and can be via cash or card. (Personal checks are not accepted at the library.)
You may combine payments for multiple applications in the same session for the Acceptance Facility fees into one transaction, but each passport application will require a separate check or money order to cover Department of State fees. This is because the Department of State fees accompany each individual application packet separately.
You will find a current US Department of State fee schedule at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/fees.html This includes information about the execution fee that Acceptance Facilities charge (currently set at $35 per application). The Library also currently charges $12 for passport photos, per person, if required.
If you are unsure about which fees to expect, let us know when we call you and we will help you anticipate how much to specify on your check or money order.
For the latest information on processing times, restrictions, expedited service fees, accepted forms of documentation, and general questions, please visit https://travel.state.gov . While we will strive to assist applicants to complete their application correctly, please note that assessment of submitted applications is carried out by the Passport Agency, and that Passport Acceptance Facility staff have no input on the decisions made by the Passport Agency.
Once we confirm a time for your appointment, you will be expected at the Library at that time. If you are more than 15 minutes late your appointment may be cancelled, and you will have to reschedule it for another day.
Please use this form to request an appointment. You can also leave a message for the Passport Acceptance Facility by calling 908-757-1111 ext. 110.
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