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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
April 14, 1999

New Orleans Passport Agency Relocates Public Services

To serve U.S. citizens better, passport agencies throughout the country have been devising ways to improve efficiency. As of April 19, the New Orleans Passport Agency will relocate its services to the public to its newly renovated site, located on the 12th and 13th floors of One Canal Place at the corner of Canal and North Peters Streets. The New Orleans office offers walk-in services primarily to residents of the New Orleans metropolitan area.

After more than 14 years at its current location in the Postal Services Building in downtown New Orleans, the Passport Agency had outgrown its space. The new location will increase the Agency’s production capacity from 900,000 to 1.4 million passports annually.

The new Agency has been configured on two floors, with public counter service provided on the 13th floor and adjudication and processing areas located on the 12th and 13th floors. The public area includes a large waiting room with ample seating. Passports created at the new facility will be made with state-of-the-art photodigital equipment. The photodigital technology lessens the possibility of photo-substitution and makes U.S. passports less vulnerable to tampering.

One Canal Place is conveniently located on the Canal Street bus route. The Agency is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed weekends and federal holidays.

Customers nationwide who are renewing their passports may be eligible to do so by mail and avoid a trip to the Passport Agency or a designated passport acceptance facility. Information on passport and other application requirements is available from the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. Another option for information, forms, or to check the status of a pending passport application is to call the National Passport Information Center at 1-900-225-5674 or 1-888-362-8668 (with a major credit card).

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