For Immediate Release:

January 9, 2012

 

FREEHOLD, NJ – With the winter travel season getting started, Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French is reminding residents that the Monmouth County Passport Office is available to help residents get their travel documents in order.

 

“Residents who don’t have a U.S. passport should consider applying for their passport now,” French said. “You never know when you may have to travel on short notice. Residents with U.S. passports should check the expiration date and start the renewal process about two months ahead of time.”

 

The Passport Office advises people to apply for passports early, well before their planned departure date. “Our office has been very successful in processing passport applications and getting them back from the passport issuing agency – the U.S. Department of State,” French said. “Our hope is to help people avoid passport-related complications with their travel plans.”

 

To obtain a passport, it is necessary to have a certified birth certificate with parental information or naturalization certificate, a Social Security number, a passport photo 2 inches by 2 inches in size, or  current identification such as a driver’s license or government identification. 

 

Parents who are making a passport application for a child under the age of 16 are required to appear together or submit additional documentation. Information about the specific documentation can be found on the county Web site or by calling the Passport Office at 732-431-7324.

 

Passport forms can be found on the Monmouth County Web site at www.visitmonmouth.com. The passport fee is $110 for adults and $80 for children and must be paid by check or money order. Also, execution fees are $25 per passport application and can be paid in cash, money order or credit card.

 

French recommends that residents contact the Passport Office prior to appearing at the office to be sure that you have the proper documentation and payments.

 

Passport applications are accepted Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Monmouth County Passport Office is located in the Market Yard in Freehold. For more information, call the Monmouth County Clerk’s office at 732-431-7324 or visit the County Web site.

 

Return from all foreign destinations requires a U.S. passport. This includes travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.

 

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