Aderholt: Check passports before booking a trip

Washington DC — In February, Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, issued a reminder to make sure your passport is still valid before booking international travel. He also said applying for a new passport or passport renewal is currently taking two months or more.

On Thursday, May 25, Aderholt Communications Director Carson Clark released the following statement:

Good afternoon everyone. I know you have sent many emails over the past few months on this topic, but I cannot overstate the importance and impact we are seeing from the current passport backlog. Our office is currently handling dozens of emergency passport situations. We can help some people get an appointment to drive and get a passport in Atlanta or New Orleans. However, we had some people who had to cancel/postpone trips. So, I hope you can help spread the word again with the points below.

• If you have a trip between now and Labor Day and don’t have a valid passport, you’ll need to apply and pay for expedited service right away.
• The best practice is not to get arrested for leaving the country if you don’t have a passport.
• Don’t book a trip thinking, “I can deal with the passport issue later.”
• If you think you may be traveling internationally in the coming year, apply and/or renew your passport now, the US State Department says.
• An adult passport is valid for 10 years. Passports for minors are valid for 5 years. So make sure you or your child’s passport is out of date.
• A member of Congress may try to help you in an emergency, but we cannot make any guarantees. Congressman Aderholt considers it an emergency for travel over the next two weeks.

In February, Aderholt said:

“As we head into the spring and summer travel season, many people are booking trips out of the country. My office is receiving many calls from people who book these types of trips and don’t realize until the last minute that they don’t have a passport or that their passport has expired. For passport emergencies, my office will be happy to assist in these situations.

“As a reminder, any travel by US citizens outside the borders of the United States requires a valid passport, even to Mexico or Canada. Also, many countries require that the passport be valid for at least six months beyond the period of travel.

For more information, go to www.usa.gov/passport.