Passport appointment wait times at the downtown Fresno Post Office exceed a month in some cases. Some people show up as early as 5 a.m. to get in line for walk-in assistance. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)
- Fresno families are flooding the downtown post office for passport assistance.
- Some applicants must wait a month for an appointment.
- The rush began around Thanksgiving after Donald Trump won the presidential election.
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January and February are typically high-demand periods for passports with many people looking forward to Spring Break, said Fresno County Clerk James Kus.
But a postal worker who did not want to be identified tells GV Wire that the demand for passports is higher than ever before. It began ramping up around Thanksgiving after Donald Trump won the presidential election.
A major concern for people? Making sure their kids have passports.
As of Wednesday, the soonest date available for a passport appointment, according to the Postal Service website, was Feb. 19. And, as appointments can only be scheduled four weeks in advance, that was also the only day available.
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Many Want to Make Sure Their Children Have a Passport
Appointments for the downtown Fresno office filled up as this story was being written. The Biola location had an appointment available for one adult on Feb. 19. Parlier, Orosi, and Chowchilla also have post offices that offer passport services. Parlier and Chowchilla did not have appointments before Feb. 19. Orosi had availabilities as early as Feb. 4.
The Postal Service directed passport questions to the U.S. Department of State, which did not respond to questions from GV Wire before publication of this story.
The Fresno County Clerk offers passport assistance by appointment. Those appointments are currently booked out two weeks, typical for January and February, Kus said. While that’s an increase from the 2024 holiday period, it doesn’t compare to the two-month waiting period during the pandemic, he said.
Those needing passport assistance can visit the county clerk’s website. It does not accept walk-ins. Fresno State also offers passport help.
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People Get to Downtown Post Office at 5 AM
Demand at the Postal Service is impacting the downtown Fresno location. For walk-ins, some people are arriving as early as 5 a.m., postal workers said.
A big concern is immigration, one of the postal employees said. Families want to ensure their children have the necessary documentation to travel out of the country. Many undocumented parents have children with U.S. citizenship.
Kus said the State Department currently estimates a four-to-six-week wait to process an application and two to three weeks for expedited processing.
One postal worker said Saturdays are the busiest. The process is easier for applicants if they know what documentation is needed and have it ready, the worker said.
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