Adventure outside the country is just a passport away, and the St. Johns County Clerk of Courts office is giving residents a unique opportunity by holding a passport Saturday event Aug. 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The event will take place at the clerk of courts office at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center located at 4010 Lewis Speedway in St. Augustine.
According to the clerk of courts office, the goal of the special one-day event is to give people that cannot get a passport during the office’s weekly office hours due to their work schedule.
The office stated that they recognized the challenges working individuals encounter when trying to fit in applying for a passport during the week, so the weekend opportunity is one they hope many residents will take advantage of.
According to Julio Cruz, chief operations officer with the clerk of courts, the usual weekday hours for passport processing at the Watson Judicial Center is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., which does not leave any time for people who get off work at the traditional 5 p.m. time.
The center’s busiest times are from noon to 2 p.m., which means passport applicants can expect a longer waiting period during those two hours.
Unlike Julington Creek and Ponte Vedra Beach Annexes, where an appointment is needed prior to coming in to get a passport, there is no appointment necessary for the event Aug. 12.
Any passport applications are sent to the U.S. Department of State for issuance.
Passports are required for anyone looking to travel outside of the U.S., including infants, and everyone applying for a passport must appear in-person in order to be approved for their passport.
Because passports can take some time to process, the U.S. Department of State advises applying for a passport months before it will actually be needed.
It takes an estimated 10 to 13 weeks from the day the U.S. Department of State receives the application. Once processed, a recipient can expect their passport to arrive at the address they filled out on the form.
An expedited service fee can be instituted, which would save a couple of weeks, which would equate to seven to nine weeks to receive applications.
Any additional questions about passport and the requirements it entails can be answered by calling the county clerk’s office 904-819-3632 or by going to www.travel.state.gov or by emailing passports@stjohnsclerk.com.
The phone number and passports email are ways of contact that remain the same and can reach both the Judicial Center and the two Annexes.
