The Buffalo Passport Agency, opened in 2010, will celebrate five years of service this weekend by hosting special Saturday hours and waiving expedited service fees on certain transactions.
The Agency, located at 111 Genesee Street, will hold hours on Saturday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., during which time applicants will be welcomed with no appointment necessary but on a first-come, first-serve basis.
First, though, applicants must download the form and review payment information on the State Department's website. This, says Buffalo Passport Agency director James Theis, must be done in advance of one's visit to the downtown bureau.
"We will be charging the normal price for the passports, but we will not be adding the expedited fee that we normally charge, which is an additional 60 dollars," said Theis. "Unless you need it the same day and we'll have to charge you that."
Applicants must also get photos taken in advance at stores or post offices that offer the service, Theis explained, because photos are not taken at the downtown agency.
Earlier this week, Congressman Brian Higgins visited the office to praise its role in getting passports in the hands of Americans who need one.
"Over the past five years, the Buffalo Passport Agency has adjudicated more than 400,000 passport applications, including 50,000 applications at its public counter," Higgins said. "Since opening, the staff has grown from 35 to 50 employees."
Higgins says Buffalo is a fitting location for a Passport Agency, given that it is home to four of the nation's busiest border crossings and sits within a 500-mile radius of more than half the American population.
