Passport application acceptance operations nationwide were generally compliant with State Department standards. Appointments are also monitored by Postal Service Headquarters staff using the “Passport Dashboard.” Prior to the implementation of the Scheduler in 2017, a customer had to call or visit a post office to schedule an appointment. Postal Service retail employees and supervisors view and manage upcoming appointments through the internal My Post Office application. Scheduled appointments are recorded in the Retail Customer Appointment Scheduler (Scheduler). Management began to allow walk-in appointments again in May 2021, at the discretion of local facility management.Ĭustomers can schedule appointments through four channels: website, customer care phone line, self-service kiosks, or in-person at a post office.
Compared to FY 2019, this was a 34 percent decline in volume and $101.4 million decline in revenue, both of which were likely attributed to a decrease in international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.ĭue to the pandemic and following safety guidelines, in March 2020, the Postal Service no longer allowed walk-in appointments and began conducting passport transactions by appointment only. During fiscal year (FY) 2020, the Postal Service processed approximately 4.4 million first-time passport applications, generating $197.3 million in acceptance and photo fee revenue. The Postal Service and State Department have an interagency agreement that governs passport acceptance.Īs of December 2020, the Postal Service had over 31,000 retail offices, of which 4,834 processed passport applications. The Postal Service’s role is to accept passport applications at designated facilities, ensure all application documents are correct, and submit documents to the State Department.
passports, and ensuring program integrity. This includes designating entities to accept passport applications, providing passport information to the public, issuing U.S. The State Department is primarily responsible for nationwide passport services. Since 1975, the Postal Service has leveraged its expansive retail network to accept passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Our objective was to assess the Postal Service’s passport application acceptance operations and identify opportunities for improvement.
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