U.S. Postal Service hosting ‘Passport Fairs’ in valley cities throughout the Summer

The U.S. Postal Service is hosting several 'Passport Fairs' throughout the Coachella Valley to help applicants combat lengthy wait times.

According to USPS officials, passport appointments in Riverside County are fully booked for the next two to three months.

The Department of State received more than 500 thousand passport applications a week in throughout the Winter months. Both summer travel and COVID restrictions helped create this record breaking backlog.

All passport Fairs throughout the valley are available on a walk-in basis. Applicants are required to bring two forms of I-D and their birth certificate.

Maria Morena with U.S. Postal Service shares, "The area doesn't really have the availability down there to have a location that's a walk-in location. So the Postal Service ensures to have at least one passport fair a month down in the Coachella area."

Desert Hot Springs' Post Office will be hosting a fair this weekend from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

You can also attend fairs in Coachella, Indio and North Palm Springs June 24.

The Department hopes to continue the fairs all throughout the Summer months in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

You can find dates and time for the months of June and July below:

The U.S. Department of State's Travel State Gov. is reporting that routine passport times may take anywhere between 10 to 13 weeks, while expedited applications may take anywhere between 7 to 9 weeks.