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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
02/14/2020
County Clerk Announces Passport Processing Days for Spring
TRENTON -- Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello will once again host special passport service days for residents of Mercer County. The County Clerk’s Office will visit municipalities throughout the Capital County to accept US Passport applications on site.
Passport processing will take place on the following dates at the following locations:
Ewing
Monday, March 23, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Ewing Township Municipal Complex
2 Jake Garzio Drive
Ewing, NJ 08628
Lawrence
Thursday, April 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lawrence Township Senior Center
30 East Darrah Lane
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Robbinsville
Thursday, April 16, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Mercer County Library – Robbinsville Branch
42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road
Robbinsville, NJ 08691
Although walk-in applications are welcome, residents are encouraged to call (609) 989-6473 to reserve a time to have their applications processed and photos taken, if needed.
“Many people like to go abroad for summer trips, but the US State Department typically takes many weeks to process passport applications,” said Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello. “The earlier you apply or renew, the likelier you are to avoid any delays.”
To apply for a passport, residents will need:
- Proof of US citizenship in the form of a state-certified birth certificate
- US naturalization certificate or a previous US Passport
- Proof of identity in the form of a current driver’s license or state-issued identification card.
A US passport booklet is valid for 10 years for adults and five for minors (under 16). The cost for a passport is $110 for adults and $80 for minors.
US citizens and nationals can also apply for a passport card, which is valid for entry by land or sea only to Canada, Mexico and many Caribbean nations. It can also be used as proof of citizenship to present to a US Embassy in case your passport booklet is lost or stolen abroad. Application fees are $30 for adults and minors age 16 and over and $15 for children under 16.
Applications for passport booklets and cards include a $35 County Clerk's passport processing fee. Photo fees are $15 for adults and $10 for children and seniors (62 and over).
For both passport booklets and cards, the County Clerk will accept checks or money orders as payment; no cash or cards can be accepted. Federal law requires a separate check for each application.
For minors, federal passport guidelines require both parents to appear in person -- or one parent in person with notarized federal consent forms -- when applying for a passport for a minor.
Although passports are primarily for international travel, they may soon be required for domestic flights after Oct. 1 of this year, due to the federal REAL ID Act of 2005. Only under certain circumstances can REAL ID-compliant New Jersey driver's licenses be obtained. To avoid this headache, residents can apply for a passport, which is already REAL ID-compliant.
Of course, the Mercer County Clerk's Office still processes US passports on a regular basis during business hours at two offices, located at 209 South Broad St. in Trenton, and at the County Connection satellite office in the Hamilton Square Shopping Center at the corner of Route 33 and Paxson Avenue in Hamilton Township. The County Connection also offers evening and Saturday hours for the convenience of Mercer County residents.
Before an international trip, we urge you to visit the US Department of State’s website at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html to see if your intended country of entry has any further entrance requirements. Some countries require you to apply for an entrance visa in addition to having a passport.
For those not planning international travel in the near future, a passport is still a good form to have. In addition to being a valid form of photo identification, a passport can be used for work authorization, entering federal buildings, applying for a new passport, obtaining a driver's license or state-issued identification card, school registration (in some districts -- check with you local school system), and proof of age (for example, when purchasing certain items requiring ID).
For further information on US Passport requirements, residents should visit http://www.mercercounty.org/government/county-clerk-/office-services/passports, or call (609) 989-6473.
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Mercer County Clerk
Paula Sollami Covello
209 South Broad St., PO Box 8068
Trenton, NJ 08650-0068 | (609) 989-6465
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