The Van Nuys Post Office is holding a passport application fair this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m where those who need to renew or apply for a passport can show up and get their application processed, no appointment needed.
The post office will help the first 500 people with their paperwork, but they expect to see a larger crowd, given the recent demand for passport services. Postal Service spokesperson Evelina Ramirez says many people put off renewing or applying for a passport because of the pandemic.
She says now that more countries are lifting restrictions, there's a lot more desire to travel internationally. But now it's hard to get an appointment for a passport.
"I've been getting hundreds of calls asking for passport application appointments. Our schedules are months booked in advance," Ramirez says.
And it's not just the lack of appointments that's slowing things down — it's also taking longer than usual for the State Department to process those applications.
Anyone showing up for the passport fair should bring a completed application, along with all the other required documents.
