By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Spring Break and the warmer travel seasons are just down the road. But travelers waiting until the last minute for a passport may find themselves staying at home. Barton County Register of Deeds Pam Wornkey said her office can help travelers apply for passports, but the wait is a long one.
"Right now, they're saying for an application, just for routine service, it will be 8-11 weeks," she said. "You can expedite it, and that's only 5-7 weeks, but it's an extra $60 per application."
Emergency passports are available, but those may require some big drive times to appointments in Denver or San Antonio. Passports may be issued within three days for qualified life-or-death emergencies, and urgent travel is for those who need to travel internationally within 14 days.
Wornkey's office helps with both new passport applications and renewals. Interested parties can pick up an application in the office, complete it, and return it with two forms of payment, a driver's license, an original birth certificate, and a valid passport photo - which has its own list of specifications. Accuracy is key because there are no refunds.
"We don't want it rejected because the federal government will not send your money back," Wornkey said. "We want to make sure we get those right when we send them in, so we always go over them with the applicant when they come in to make sure there isn't anything that needs to be corrected or redone. If there is, we can redo it at that time."
Passport fees will vary, and a separate payment must be attached to the application before sending it off. The deeds office charges $35 for processing the application. Certain renewal applications may be mailed from home. Interested parties can call or drop by the deeds office at the Barton County Courthouse from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with no appointment needed.