HOULTON, Maine — Obtaining a passport to cross into Canada or other foreign countries has now become easier for residents of southern Aroostook County.
Staff at the Southern Registry of Deeds office, located on the first floor of the Aroostook County courthouse on 26 Court St., can now process passport applications.
“I went to one of the Registry of Deeds Association meetings downstate, I learned some of the other registry offices in the state do passports,” explained Tyler Clark, register for the southern office. “Only governmental agencies can do the passport application.”
In the greater Houlton area, the Houlton Post Office has traditionally been the only location where people could renew or obtain passports. However, the Houlton Post Office now does these applications by appointment only. At the Registry of Deeds, walk-in customers are welcome, Clark said.
Prior to the Registry office taking on this function, the next closest location to obtain a passport was in Mars Hill.
“We saw this as an opportunity to provide an additional service to the people of Aroostook County,” Clark said.
There are two types of documents a person can obtain to use when crossing the border — a passport book or a passport card (also referred to as a Nexxus card). A passport book is valid for travel to a foreign country, while a passport card is only good for land and sea travel to Canada and Mexico.
An adult passport book costs $135 for first-time applicants or $110 for a renewal. The passport card costs $55 for first-timers or $30 for renewals.
The service is a revenue generator as for every new passport application processed; the county government receives $25. Simple renewals, however, do not generate income for the county, Clark said.
Passports typically take 4-6 weeks to receive in the mail, Clark said.
The Registry office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 432-1500.
