“It’s mental gymnastics,” says Natalie Herrera (pictured here, on the left), a clerk in the Altadena Library District (ALD) Passport Services office. “I see it as a puzzle to solve. They call frustrated, so I start asking questions. No two days are the same.”
Toni Aguilar (on the right), who leads the office, agrees with a laugh. “It can be challenging. Sometimes people don’t want to share personal information. We had an applicant put Santa Claus at the North Pole as his emergency contact.”
While reticence may seem unusual in the age of social media, the DS-11, the passport application the ALD passport office handles, requires a certain amount of personal information, such as name, date of birth, parents’ information, etc., as well as the documentation to back it up. And applicants must have everything with them at the time of their appointment. They also need to have the right form of payment. (Hint, the U.S. Department of State only takes check or money order).
“Appointments vary greatly, and it depends on the situation,” says Aguilar. “One person might take 30 minutes while a family with multiple applicants could take an hour to an hour and a half.”
And when someone has the paperwork, people, and payment they need? “It’s a smooth and easy process,” says Herrera.
Every day begins with Aguilar and Herrera returning calls—the office gets an average of 1,000 a month—that have come in overnight or over the weekend. They set appointments, confirm the checklist of items required for each appointment, and answer tons of questions.
“No, we can’t issue passports for other countries.”
“Yes, both parents need to be present and have identification when requesting a passport for a minor under 16 [years of age].”
“Yes, a minor receiving the passport must be present too.”
As with many formal processes, the devil is in the details when handling passport applications. For instance, the pages of the DS-11 application must be printed single-sided and completed in black ink. Pages of instructions are available on the U.S. Department of State website, but Aguilar and Herrera have put together a pretty straightforward checklist—available in English and Spanish—for applicants to follow. You can find the checklist at www.altadenalibrary.org/passports.
And in our post-COVID world, the State Department takes longer – and it’s more expensive – to get passports, says Aguilar, so patience is key. “Plan to get your passport at least 6 months before you travel.”
Herrera recommends you pull your passport out as your first step in international travel, prior to booking anything.
The U.S. Department of State passports webpage currently says routine processing times can take up to 10 weeks, not including mailing (2 weeks each way). In short, it can currently take up to 14 weeks total for routine service and up to 9 weeks for expedited service to receive your passport.
And if the State Department finds an issue with the paperwork, it will put the application on hold, issue a letter to the applicant, and pause the process until the requirements are met.
The No. 1 reason passports are put on hold by during processing? The passport photo doesn’t match the rigid government standards. The library staffers recommend applicants have a picture taken at CVS, FedEx, or the library (there is a $15 fee) rather than trying to take it themselves.
Aguilar and Herrera are in close communication throughout the week, apprising each other of any ongoing challenges or situations. They swap anecdotes and share a friendly rapport that comes from years of working closely together. That camaraderie and knowledge infuses their work.
“It’s such an incredible convenience applying for a passport on top of everything else our beautiful library offers,” said a recent customer. “And thank you so much for the kind and helpful people who make the process go so smoothly.”
People often travel long distances—from Fresno, Palmdale, Perris, or San Diego—to have their passport applications handled in Altadena. In addition to word-of-mouth referrals, Aguilar and Herrera are both bilingual, and the office offers Saturday hours.
“They stay on top of constantly changing information,” says District Director Nikki Winslow. “The last time the State Department audited our site, they commented how they’d like to be able to send Toni and Natalie to train others.”
ALD’s passport office is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. An appointment is required (sorry, no walk-ins), and the office is often booked out about a month. For details about fees and to access the checklist, visit www.altadenalibrary.org/passports.
Three Easy Steps to Getting Your Passport at Altadena Library
- Call 626-798-2950 to make an appointment.
- Arrive on time for your appointment.
- Follow the checklist to make sure you bring the appropriate people, paperwork, and payment.
By the Numbers
- Passport Services staff: 2
- Passports handled in 2022: 1,549
- Average number of calls received in a month: About 1,000
- Average number of weeks for U.S. State Department routine passport processing: 7-10 (up to 14 with mail service added)
- Average number of weeks for U.S. State Department expedited passport processing: 3-5 (up to 9 with mail service added)
If you need to travel for a life-or-death emergency, please call the National Passport Center at 877-487-2778.
