Passport applications are accepted at the Office of the City Clerk, located in City Hall at 291 N. Main Street.  Applications are accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

A passport is international identification and proof of United States citizenship. A valid U.S. passport is required to enter and leave most foreign countries. A new wallet-sized passport card is now available for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean; but cannot be used for air travel.

To apply for a Passport, customers will need to have:

• A certified copy of their Certificate of Live Birth issued by the state in which they were born (hospital-issued birth certificates and CA and TX state abstract forms are not acceptable); or an original United States Certificate of Naturalization;
• a valid photo identification, such as a California driver’s license or identification card; and
• two passport photos. They must be identical, 2-inch by 2-inch head and shoulders pictures, taken against a light, solid color background. Note: Photos services are not provided by the City of Porterville.

Fees
An adult passport (applicant 16 years or older at time of application) is valid for 10 years and costs a total of $100. Two separate payments are made: $75 passport fee to Department of State (DoS) by check or money order and a $25 execution fee to the City of Porterville (CoP) in cash, money order or check. An adult passport card is $45 ($20 to DoS and $25 to the CoP) and valid for 10 years.

A child’s passport (15 years or under at time of application) is valid for five years and costs $85 ($60 to DoS and $25 to CoP). Minors 13 years or under must have parental consent to obtain a passport and must have both parents present during the application process. Minors age 14-18 must have at least one parent present.  A child’s passport card is $35 ($10 to DoS and $25 to CoP) and valid for five years.

Processing Time
Routine applications are processed in approximately 4-6 weeks. Expedited service costs an additional $60, for receipt within 2-3 weeks. For emergency situations requiring a passport sooner, applicants should contact the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778.

Passport applications and forms can be picked up at the Office of the City Clerk and are also available on the Department of State's website at http://travel.state.gov.

To check the status of a passport application, call 1-877-487-2778 or visit http://travel.state.gov.