Justification for change to DS-82

Explanation of Changes to Approved Collection

Application for a U.S. Passport by Mail

OMB No. 1405-0020, Form DS-82

Expires 08/31/2008

Form DS-82, Application for a U.S. Passport by Mail, is used by eligible U.S. citizens and non-citizen nationals who are renewing a current or recently expired U.S. passport. The requested changes reflect significant reformatting for more efficient processing and extend the use of the DS-82 to citizens and non-citizen nationals who are renewing a U.S. passport card. The revised DS-82 makes available the option of renewing a traditional U.S. passport book, a U.S. passport card, or both, using a single application form. Applicants who are the bearer of a current or recently expired U.S. passport may also use the form to apply for first-time issuance of a U.S. passport card. The changes to the application form are necessary to reflect rule changes that are currently under OMB review. [RIN-1400-AC22 (card format passport)]

As early as January 1, 2008, all adult U.S. citizens and nationals will be required to show a passport or similar acceptable document to re-enter the United States at all land and sea ports of entry. This is the final implementation phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the first phase of which required that all travelers present a passport to re-enter the United States at air ports of entry as of January 23, 2007. The passport card is a wallet-sized version of a U.S. passport which will be accepted for international travel at land and sea ports of entry between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The passport card was developed to provide a more convenient and less expensive document for use by the millions U.S. citizens living in border towns, crossing the border to Canada and Mexico on a daily basis.

The Department is currently in the procurement process for the passport card and intends to begin issuing the documents as soon as large scale production of the document is possible. The planned date for acceptance of passport card applications is February 1, 2008. Following OMB approval of the changes to this collection, Passport Services anticipates 10 weeks for printing and distribution of the application forms. It is imperative that Passport Services have a supply of these revised forms available in the 18 passport issuance locations and over 9,000 application acceptance locations in advance of the February date. This is only possible if an approved draft is provided to the printer no later than November 30, 2007. A delay in the availability of the card-inclusive version of Form DS-82 would leave millions of U.S. citizens with no way to apply for the passport card.

The changes to Form DS-82 are primarily visual, but do include a box that an applicant may use to indicate whether a passport book, a passport card, or both, is being requested. The time burden per application does not change. The DS-82 solicits the same information, since the information and supporting documentation required to issue a passport is the same, regardless of format. The applicant makes a single payment and follows the same submission process, regardless of which document is selected. The adjudication process is the same for Passport Services. The only difference is the end product – either a passport book, a passport card, or both, will be printed. The total annual time burden has been adjusted due to the significant increase demand following the implementation of the WHTI. There is currently no accurate count of the expected number of new passport applications due to this WHTI initiative, but a rough estimate is that 6.21 million applications for passports will be submitted annually using form DS-82. This would cause an increase of 2,207,000 hours from the current OMB totals. Final projections based on the Department’s recent Passport Demand Survey are currently being calculated, which will more accurately estimate future passport application requests.

The fee to renew a traditional passport book will not change. However, the passport card will be offered at a lower price. The lower fees for the passport card result in a potential decrease in individual application costs for the DS-82. However, for overall cost burden calculations, due to the new WHTI, the tremendous increase in the number of passport applications has led to an increase in cost burden which offsets the decrease in fees.

The charts below detail the current fee schedule and the new fee schedule:

Current vs. New Fee Schedule

Document	Old Fee	New Fee
Passport Book Only	67	67
Passport Card Only	---	20
Passport Book and Card Combined	---	87
Expedited Service	60	60