La Mesa Post Office To Host Passport Fair Ahead Of Holiday Season

LA MESA, CA — A series of passport fairs are scheduled Saturday at several San Diego area post offices, including in La Mesa, in preparation for the busy holiday travel season.

A total of 25 passport fairs will take place at post offices in Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

"The purpose of this one-day blizzard of passport fairs is to make the process of applying for new passports easy for our customers," San Diego Postmaster Justine Valadez said in a statement. "A lot of people, especially those with schoolchildren, don't have the time during the week to visit a post office to submit their passport applications."

Officials advised people planning to travel internationally to submit their passport applications as far in advance of their trips as possible. It takes three or more months to process new passports due to "extremely high demand," according to the U.S. Postal Service.

Postal employees at each participating location will accept applications for new passports during the events on a first come, first served basis. Registration is not required.

Applicants are advised to complete their DS-11 new passport application in advance, print it out and bring it with them unsigned, along with an acceptable passport photo, fees and documents. Fees can be paid with cash, debit cards or money orders.

These are the passport fairs scheduled Saturday in San Diego County:

• Alpine: 2127 Arnold Way, Alpine, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Carmel Mountain: 11251 Rancho Carmel Drive, San Diego, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Chula Vista: 340 Oxford St., Chula Vista, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• College Grove: 3426 College Ave., San Diego, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• El Cajon: 401 W Lexington Ave., El Cajon, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Encinitas: 1150 Garden View Road, Encinitas, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Fallbrook: 747 S Mission Road, Fallbrook, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Jamul: Jamul, 13961 Campo Road, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• La Mesa: 8064 Allison Ave., La Mesa, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Otay Mesa: 2960 Fern Ave., San Diego, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Riverfront: 2600 Camino Del Rio N, San Diego, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• University City: 3298 Governor Drive, San Diego, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.