Expanded Passport Information Services for U.S. Citizens

Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC August 19, 2003 National Passport Information Center (NPIC) Expanded Service As of today, the public can obtain passport information by calling a toll-free telephone number. The National Passport Information Center (NPIC), the Department's single, centralized public contact center for U.S. passport information, has moved from 1-900 fee-for-service to toll-free service. This change is the result of a new contract with AT&T that greatly expands the public's access to passport information. The new, general telephone number is 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). For TDD/TTY users, the number is 1-888-874-7793. Live operators are now available on weekdays from 8:00am to 8:00pm, Eastern Time. Twenty-four hour, 7-day access to automated information continues to be available. Callers to the previous, fee-for-service 1-900 number will, at no charge, be directed to call the new number. Another significant improvement will be the addition of e-mail access to the National Passport Information Center at [email protected]. Typically, a response will be sent to e-mail inquiries within 24-hours during normal business days. This service expansion complements the vast amount of passport and other international travel information readily available on the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs website, http://travel.state.gov. [End] Released on August 19, 2003