Garden City Postmaster Joe Agricola and his staff are hosting a Passport Fair at the Roosevelt Field Postal Store located in the mall's lower level to make it more convenient for postal customers to obtain a passport.

The Passport Fair will be held Sunday, Nov. 5, from noon to 3 p.m. Postal officials will be on hand to accept passport applications. Light refreshments will be served.

Agricola explains that the United States Postal Service can accept first-time passport applicants and passport renewals. With enhanced travel security, passports are the prime accepted identification for travelers. The United States Postal Service in conjunction with the Department of State affords customers this additional service at a reasonable rate.

"Our customers are the reason we're in business, and providing them with an extra service like passports is an opportunity for the Postal Service to serve the needs of our community," Agricola said.

He offers these helpful tips for applying for a passport:

Fill out the passport application (DS11), before you come to the post office. Download it from http://travel.state.gov/download_applications.html. Bring proof of US citizenship with you and current photo identification. Postal officials can take the photographs. Have all your documentation with you. All information on passport applications, procedures and fees can be attained by contacting this local post office or on the World Wide Web at www.usps.com, click on the government links page then click on get a passport.

Agricola emphasizes that additional postal information is always available from the Postal Service's toll-free call center at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

Be prepared for the January passport requirement deadline. The new guidelines for passports:

Jan. 8, 2007 - Passports will be required for all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

Jan. 1, 2008 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by Jan. 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States.

This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports.