rap #58 03/24/10
COUNTY CONNECTION TO HOST PASSPORT DAY SATURDAY, MARCH 27
THE COUNTY CONNECTION in the Ocean County Mall is joining with the U.S. State Department in hosting a Passport
Day, this Saturday, March 27 from 10 am to 3 pm.
“This is part of Passport Day in the USA,” said Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Kelly. “We want to help make
people more aware that they need a passport to leave and re-enter the country, even if they are traveling across the
border to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.”
U.S. citizens must present a valid passport book when entering or re-entering the United States by air.
Citizens entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, at land borders and sea ports of
entry must present a passport book or a passport card.
Both traditional passport and the smaller passport card applications are available year round at the County Connection
during regular mall hours, Kelly said.
“This is also an effort by the county to remind people to apply for a passport before the summer arrives,” he said. “It
generally takes four to six weeks to receive your passport, so the time to apply is now.”
Applying now can also save you some money.
The county has also been notified by the federal government that the cost of a passport is expected to jump by $35 in
the coming weeks.
“The increase could happen as early as April,” Kelly said.
To apply for a passport a U.S. citizen needs proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate; ID, such as a driver’s
license or student ID card and two recent 2-inch by 2-inch photos, which can be provided by the applicant or taken at
the county office for an additional fee.
The current passport fee is $100.00, $75.00 of which must be paid by check or money order payable to US Department of
State, and a $25.00 execution fee that may be paid in cash or by check to The Ocean County Clerk. The county also
accepts VISA & MasterCard for the $25 payment only. Children under 16 years of age are charged $60.00, plus a $25.00
execution fee. Even a one-day old child must have a passport for foreign travel.
Separate fees are charged for a passport card.
Details on the application process and the fees are available on the Ocean County Clerk’s Website at
www.clerk.co.ocean.nj.us.
The county also issues passports at the County Clerk’s Main Office in the Ocean County Courthouse, 118 Washington
Street in downtown Toms River, the Stafford Business Park, 379 Haywood Road, Bldg 106 in Manahawkin and the Northern
Ocean County Resource Center, 225 4th Street, Lakewood.
Please call 732-929-2018 for more information.
