Photo by Victoria Pickering.
Amid new offerings at the D.C. Public Library, you will now be to apply for a new passport at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Starting Nov.17, the library will accept new passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Department of State for a $25 fee. And for another $15, library staff will take your passport photo to boot.
The DC Public Library Passport Acceptance Center will process applications for passport books for travel to any country, and passport cards for travel from U.S. to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
This center’s opening comes after DCPL developed “regulations that allow it to generate revenue through non-library activities,” according to a release.
The center’s hours are Tuesdays – Thursdays from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. And since you can’t make an appointment, there may be a wait.
Customers who aren’t seen right away will be given a form to complete and encouraged to explore the library, according to the release. So if you haven’t checked out the “Fab Lab” and the library’s other non-traditional programs, this is your chance.
In addition to the library’s processing fee, anyone 16 and older can purchase a passport book for $110, or it can be expedited for $170. For those under 16, a book costs $80 regular price and $140 expedited. Individuals 16 and older can purchase a passport card for $30, or it can be expedited for $90. Under 16, a card costs $15 regular price and $75 expedited.
The library’s center won’t process passport renewals or emergency passports needed in less than three weeks.
In addition to helping raise funds, “it’s a service that will attract more people to the library,” says library spokesman George Williams, noting that they are offering the service in evenings and on Saturdays. “And once they come in, they may do other things like check out travel or language books.”
The State Department has partnered with other libraries around the country, including in Prince George’s County and Baltimore, to offer passport services.
