MENG, GIANARIS, RAGA AND WON TO HOLD PASSPORT DAY TO HELP CONSTITUENTS APPLY FOR OR RENEW THEIR PASSPORTS

QUEENS, NY – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens), in conjunction with New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, Assembly Member Steven Raga and Council Member Julie Won will hold a local Passport Day to help constituents apply for or renew a passport.

The event is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the United States Post Office in Woodside, Queens located at 39-25 61st Street. It follows several other passport events that Meng has arranged at post offices throughout the borough over the past three years. This includes last month at the Flushing Post Office on Main Street where 110 transactions were processed, which consisted of both first-time and renewal applications. 

“With the summer travel season almost upon us, we encourage our constituents to take advantage of this convenient service to ensure they have their passports and that they are up to date,” said the four lawmakers. “From vacations to business travel, it is important for local residents to be prepared as they plan their trips abroad. We are pleased to offer this upcoming Passport Day for those residing in our districts and look forward to the event taking place on Sunday.”

To receive a passport, an individual must be a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national, and they need to complete the application form which Postal Service clerks at this upcoming event can assist with on-site. The required supporting documents must also be submitted and details can be found here. 

The following is what constituents should bring:

1. If applying for a first-time passport, bring an original copy and photocopy of proof of identity AND U.S. citizenship documents. 
2. For a renewal, bring the most recent passport and name change documents if there are any.
3. Children under age 16 must apply in person with two parents or guardians using form DS-11. Applicant must provide U.S. citizenship evidence. Parents must show relationship and present ID. If one or both parents or guardians is absent, more documents are needed.
4. Debit/credit card, or check/money order made payable to "Postmaster" for acceptance fees. 
5. Check/money order made payable to "U.S. Department of State" for processing fees.
6. A color passport photo taken in the last six months, or a photo can be taken on-site with an additional fee.

The costs of applying for and renewing a passport can be found here. 

Applications for both first-time passports and renewals will be accepted at the upcoming event on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Two years ago, Meng helped to reduce extremely long processing times for passport applications and renewals that had been caused by skyrocketing demands for passports. In 2023, standard processing times for passports ranged from 10-13 weeks and expedited requests took approximately 7-9 weeks. 

Meng pushed the State Department to decrease this huge backlog, including pushing then-Secretary of State Antony Blinkento address the problem during a congressional hearing. The lengthy wait times were shortened, and now standard processing times are down to 4-6 weeks and expedited processing is just 2-3 weeks.