Post office to process passports

The U.S. Postal Service will host a passport fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat., Dec. 1 at the Moorpark Post Office, 215 W. Los Angeles Ave.

To speed the process at this event, extra staff will be on hand to assist customers assembly-line fashion with preparing the application, ensuring documents are in order and accepting the application. Appointments are not necessary.

Passport applicants will need to bring the following: a certified copy of birth certificate issued by the state of birth (hospital-issued birth certificates and state abstract forms are not acceptable) or an original U.S. Certificate of Naturalization; valid photo identification; and two identical passport photos, which can be taken at the event for $15.

An adult passport for citizens age 16 years or older is valid for 10 years and costs a total of $97. Children's passports cost a total of $82 and are valid for five years.

Minors must have parental consent to obtain a passport. Minors 13 years and younger must have both parents present during the application process, and minors age 14 to 18 must have at least one parent.

Normal passport application processing runs about six to eight weeks. A passport application can be expedited for an additional $60 fee, with passport received within three weeks. For emergency situations requiring a passport sooner, applicants should call the Los Angeles Passport Agency directly at (310) 5755700.

Passport forms can be downloaded at www.usps.com/passport.

For Department of State passport and travel information, visit www.travel.state.gov.

To check the status of a passport application, call the National Passport Information Center at (877) 487-2778 or visit www.travel.state.gov.

A passport is international identification and proof of U.S. citizenship. New laws require a passport for all air and sea travel outside of the U.S.