Princeton Passport Day Slated for April 29

Passport Day for Princeton residents will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 in the community room at the Princeton Municipal Building at 400 Witherspoon Street.

Residents can call (609) 989-6473 to reserve a time to have their applications processed and their passport photo taken. Walk-in applicants are also welcome. Representatives from the County Clerk’s Office will be on-site to assist residents with their forms. Every effort will be made to include those residents who do not make an appointment.

To apply for a United States 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 ten years for adults and five years for minors. The cost 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 under 16. The Mercer County Clerk’s Office will accept checks or money orders for payment.  No cash or credit cards will be accepted at this event.

The U.S. Department of State now 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 their 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 notarized federal consent forms — when applying for a passport for a child under 16.

While routine applications for US Passports are now being processed from four to six weeks, the early spring season is a good time to apply since the US State Department historically receives large numbers of applications as the summer travel season nears.

For those who will be unable to participate in the passport event, the Mercer County Clerk’s office processes passport applications Monday through Friday during regular business hours at County Clerk’s Office, 209 South Broad Street in Trenton.  Mercer County residents can also apply for a US Passport at the Mercer County Connection, which is located at the Hamilton Square Shopping Center on Highway 33 and Paxson Avenue in Hamilton. Passport photos are available at both locations.

For further information on US Passport requirements, and which personal documents are needed to obtain a passport, visit www.mercercounty.org or call (609) 989-6473.