ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando is one of the six cities in the United States that will be getting a new passport office.
The facility will provide service to travelers with urgent needs, which will expand the number of agencies across the country to 35, according to a news release from the Department of State. People who don't need urgent services can apply for a passport at an acceptance facility, which includes post offices and local government facilities.
The other locations include Salt Lake City, Utah; Kansas City, Missouri; Charlotte, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; and Cincinnati, Ohio. The goal of these locations is to provide quick service to more people closer to where they live and almost half of Americans have a passport, the release said.
Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who announced the location at a press conference Tuesday, said on X that hundreds of people reached out to him in need of passport application and renewal assistance. He said he was able to get the State Department to work with his office to expand access to passport services.
Currently, the Miami Passport Agency is the sole office in Florida and travelers need an appointment. The future opening date was not announced.
While passport processing times are going back down to pre-pandemic levels, the State Department still encourages Americans to plan ahead and check expiration dates for their current passports. Officials also urge to renew them at least six to nine months before the expiration date.
