If you鈥檙e planning to travel abroad this summer and need to obtain or renew your passport, be forewarned: As the number of travelers rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, passport applications are backed up, and the U.S. State Department predicts the number of passports issued will top the 22 million issued last year.
News reports tell of passengers from coast to coast forced to re-schedule or forego travel altogether because their passport applications were not processed in time. But help in alleviating the backup in applying for a passport is available at the University of Louisville鈥檚 International Center, home to Passport Place.
The recently opened Passport Place was created as part of the International Center鈥檚 work to help students, faculty and staff navigate the requirements for traveling abroad. Though Passport Place has seen steady growth, its ability to accept passport applications has never been limited to only those with UofL connections.
鈥淲e are authorized by the Department of State to help all eligible U.S. citizens apply for a passport, whether they are affiliated with UofL or not,鈥 said Kristin Samer, marketing coordinator and Passport Acceptance Agent at UofL鈥檚 International Center. 鈥淔or the same $35 fee charged at post offices and other facilities that provide passports, we can take your application and submit it; all fees collected go to support international education at UofL.鈥
鈥淲hile we can’t change the (State Department鈥檚) processing time, we are able to assist right away and get most applications sent out the same day. And, unlike other facilities, no appointment is necessary; we take walk-ins.鈥
Samer said Passport Place鈥檚 ability to speed up the application process is probably due to the public鈥檚 lack of knowledge of its existence. 鈥淧eople at UofL know us, of course, but the general public does not,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat void of information creates capacity.鈥
The facility is included on the State Department鈥檚 list of offices where passport applications can be filed, however, leading to a trickle of people already finding it. 鈥淲e even had a family come up from Nashville to apply for their passports with us because we were the only place taking walk-in appointments in the region, and they found out about us on the State Department website.
鈥淲e鈥檝e heard the horror stories about other facilities. People have tried scheduling appointments weeks out, and then the facility cancelled them the day of the appointment because there are too many applications to process or an acceptance agent isn’t there to assist with the application.聽These problems have not occurred at Passport Place,鈥 she said. “The staff is well-trained, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We have a waiting room with coffee, coloring books for children and comfortable seating. We believe these factors are what differentiates the Passport Place at UofL from other Passport Acceptance Facilities.”
Is Samer worried that getting the word out will lead to overrunning Passport Place鈥檚 ability to speedily submit passport applications? 鈥淲e鈥檒l cross that bridge if we have to,鈥 she said, 鈥渂ut right now we have the capacity to process many applications each day.鈥
Passport Place is open six days a week, Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It is located in the UofL International Center at 2220 E. Centennial Walk off Third Street. During the week, parking is available for a fee in the Speed Art Museum Garage on Third Street. On Saturdays, the gated lot next to the center is open and parking is free.
For details on what you need to apply for a U.S. passport, go to the State Department website, or contact Passport Place at 502-852-0300 or passportoffice@louisville.edu. Currently, the State Department recommends you apply for your passport six months in advance of your trip out of the country.