LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you’re planning to travel abroad this summer and need to obtain or renew your passport, be forewarned: As the number of travelers rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, passport applications are backed up, and the U.S. State Department predicts the number of passports issued will top the 22 million issued last year.
News reports tell of passengers from coast to coast forced to re-schedule or forego travel altogether because their passport applications were not processed in time. But help to alleviate the backup is available at the University of Louisville’s International Center, home to Passport Place.
The recently opened Passport Place was created as part of the International Center’s one-stop shop to help students, faculty and staff navigate the requirements for traveling abroad. Though Passport Place has seen steady growth, its ability to accept passport applications has never been limited to only those with UofL connections.
“The Department of State authorizes us to help all eligible U.S. citizens apply for a passport, whether they are affiliated with UofL or not,” said Kristin Samer, marketing coordinator and Passport Acceptance Agent at UofL’s International Center. “For the same $35 fee charged at post offices and other facilities that provide passports, we can take your application and submit it much faster; all fees collected go to support international education at UofL.”
“While we can’t change the (State Department’s) processing time, we can assist right away and get applications sent out the same day. And, unlike other facilities, no appointment is necessary; we take walk-ins.”
However, the facility is included on the State Department’s list of offices where passport applications can be filed, leading to a trickle of people already finding it. “We even had a family come up from Nashville to apply for their passports with us because we were the only place taking walk-in appointments in the region, and they found out about us on the State Department website.
Is Samer worried that getting the word out will speedily overrun Passport Place’s ability to submit passport applications? “We’ll cross that bridge if we have to,” she said, “but right now, we have the capacity to process more than 100 applications per day.”
Passport Place is open six days a week, Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It is in the UofL International Center at 2220 E. Centennial Walk off Third Street. During the week, parking is available for a fee in the Speed Art Museum Garage on Third Street. The gated lot next to the center is open on Saturdays, and parking is free.
For details on what you need to apply for a U.S. passport, go to the state department website, “How to Apply for a Passport,” or contact Passport Place at 502-852-0300 or [email protected]. Currently, the state department recommends you apply for your passport six months before your trip out of the country.
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