Orlando is getting a passport office
ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando is getting a passport office!
The announcement came down Tuesday afternoon from Rep. Maxwell Frost, who represents Florida's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress. He held a press conference at 1 p.m. with all the details about the new passport agency making its way to Central Florida.
The State Department has chosen Orlando as one of six locations for the creation of a new passport office in the U.S., Frost said. Currently, the only passport office in Florida is located in Miami. Now, there will be two.
"Folks know that this has been something I have been fighting for since the day I got to Congress. When I got there, I was surprised to find out that Florida was one of the larger states in the entire country to only have one passport office in Miami, which blew my mind, especially given that New York and California each have three, and we're the third-largest state and we only had one," Frost said during Tuesday's press conference. "So we got to work."
Here's what we know so far about Orlando's new passport agency office.
Where will Orlando's passport office be located?
The exact location has not yet been revealed. In fact, officials don't even know where it'll be.
That process will be handed by the U.S. General Services Administration, which will decide where the passport agency office will be. They'll listen to Orlando leaders' recommendations, which will be determined by the community, public officials and other city figures, Frost said.
When will Orlando's passport office open?
It typically takes about a year for the USGSA to determine where a passport agency location will be. Once the location is chosen, it can take a few weeks up to several months to actually open the office. That depends on a few factors, like whether the office will be located in an existing federal building, or if they'll be taking over another location that will eventually need federal security systems, Frost said.
The office will likely be open from Monday to Friday when it first opens, Frost said. The congressman said he hopes it'll eventually be able to have limited Saturday hours, something he pushed for and which recently came to fruition at the Miami office.
What's the difference between a passport counter and passport office?
Frost clarified the difference between a passport counter and a passport office during Tuesday's press conference.
Central Florida is home to several passport counters. That's where residents can get their passport photo taken, which is eventually sent to the State Department. Then, they'll receive their passport in the mail several weeks later.
A passport office is where people can get a new passport on the same day of their appointment.
"That's the difference and the significance here," Frost said. .
You can renew your US passport online again with limited trial program
How to renew your passport in the meantime
If your passport is expired or it's about to expire, you can renew your passport at the Miami passport office or online. You can also visit a passport counter in your area.
More details on that here.