Passport Applications in St. Lucie County

The St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller accepts U.S. passport applications at two counters: the Main Office in downtown Fort Pierce and the St. Lucie West branch inside the South County Annex.

The Clerk's locations and hours page lists passports among the services at the Main Office, 201 S. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34950, and at the St. Lucie West Branch in the South County Annex (250 N.W. Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986). Passport work belongs to the Clerk's Recording Department on the 4th floor of the Fort Pierce building, which the Clerk passport page lists with hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, phone 772-462-6900 and mail to Attn: Recording Department, P.O. Box 700, Fort Pierce, FL 34954.

The same St. Lucie County page answers the timing question directly: passport applications are accepted Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., while the locations page lists general Clerk hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Blank application forms come from the U.S. Department of State, and the Clerk links the DS-11, DS-82, DS-5504, DS-3053 and DS-4085 forms. The St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court guide covers the office's other counters.

Form DS-11, filed in person in St. Lucie County, is for first time applicants, anyone under 16, holders of a passport issued over 15 years ago, and anyone whose passport was lost, damaged or stolen; eligible adult renewals go by mail on Form DS-82.

The St. Lucie County Clerk passport page says a mail renewal on Form DS-82 is open to a holder whose passport is not more than 5 years past its expiration date and not more than 15 years since issue, and who was at least 16 when it was issued. A renewal under a new name adds a certified copy of the marriage certificate or court order. When the last passport was issued more than one year ago and the holder no longer has it, the application goes back to Form DS-11 at an acceptance agency such as the Fort Pierce or Port St. Lucie counter.

Form DS-5504 covers a narrow case on the St. Lucie County Clerk's passport page: a passport issued less than one year ago that needs a change of name, a correction of descriptive data or an extension of a limited passport. That form is completed, signed, dated and mailed to an address on the back of the form, not handed in at the Fort Pierce or St. Lucie West counter, and the Clerk notes there is no fee unless expedited processing is requested. The federal fee schedule at 22 CFR 22.1 likewise lists no fee for a passport book replacement for a name change or a data correction submitted within one year of issuance.

A first time applicant brings proof of citizenship, proof of identity and one color passport photo, 2 by 2 inches, to the St. Lucie County Clerk along with a completed Form DS-11.

Proof of citizenship on the St. Lucie County Clerk passport page is a previous U.S. passport, a certified birth certificate that shows the names of both parents, or a Certificate of Naturalization. Proof of identity is a previous passport, a valid driver license, a state identification card or a Certificate of Naturalization, and the Clerk notes that a temporary license does not meet the requirement. An applicant who cannot prove identity that way brings an identifying witness, a relative or someone with a valid driver license who has known the applicant for at least two years, who signs an Affidavit of Identifying Witness.

The photo must be recent, front view and full face, 2 inches by 2 inches, and in color. The St. Lucie County Clerk fee schedule lists a passport photo fee of $18.18. Adult passports issued at 16 or older are valid for 10 years and children's passports for 5 years, the Clerk page states.

A child under 16 must appear in person at the St. Lucie County Clerk, and both parents sign the DS-11 together, or one parent signs and brings the other parent's notarized consent.

The Clerk's passport page lists, for minors, a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state with both parents' names, or a Certificate of Naturalization, plus an identity document such as a previous passport or government issued ID card. When one parent cannot come to the Fort Pierce or St. Lucie West counter, that parent completes a notarized Statement of Consent on Form DS-3053 and sends a photocopy of the front and back of an ID; the Clerk says the notarized consent cannot be more than three months old.

The federal rule behind this is 22 CFR 51.28. It says minors under 16 must appear in person unless a senior passport authorizing officer excuses it, that both parents or each legal guardian must execute the application for a first passport or a renewal, and that one parent may apply alone with a written statement or affidavit of consent from the non-applying parent, signed before a notary public. These rules apply the same way at both St. Lucie County Clerk counters.

The St. Lucie County Clerk's fee schedule lists an adult passport book at $130.00 payable to the U.S. Department of State and a $35.00 acceptance fee payable to the Clerk, with a posted first time total of $165.00.

The St. Lucie County fee schedule also lists a file search fee of $150.00, expedite processing at $60.00 and photos at $18.18, and it notes that additional fees may apply when expediting. Payment is split: the Department of State portion must be a check sent with the application, while the Clerk's own portion can be paid in cash, by check or by credit card.

The federal side is set in the Department of State's Schedule of Fees at 22 CFR 22.1, which lists a $35 passport book or card execution fee (required of first time applicants and others who must apply in person), passport book application services at $50 for applicants 16 or over and $20 under 16, an $80 passport book security surcharge, passport card application services at $30 (16 or over) and $15 (under 16), and $60 for expedited service. 22 CFR 51.51 says the execution fee applies when an applicant must execute the application in person before a person authorized to administer oaths for passport purposes, is collected at the time of application and is not refundable, and may be retained by a state or local government when the Department authorizes it; the St. Lucie County Clerk's schedule makes the $35.00 acceptance fee payable to the Clerk.

A St. Lucie County traveler leaving within 14 calendar days must book an appointment at the nearest passport agency through the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778, the Clerk says.

The Clerk's passport page points applicants to the Department of State website for current processing times rather than printing them. Application status can be checked by calling 877-487-2778 from 6 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays, or online through the Department's application status site. For trips further out, the St. Lucie County fee schedule lists a $60.00 expedite processing fee, and 22 CFR 22.1 defines expedited service as processing within the period the Department publishes on its website or in person service at a U.S. Passport Agency.