A rare passport fair is coming to NC, just ahead of the REAL ID deadline
A rare passport event is coming to North Carolina to help needy travelers apply for one in person.
The Department of State announced that a special passport acceptance fair will be held Saturday, May 3 in Stanfield, about 26 miles outside of Charlotte.
Every month, the fairs are held at different passport facilities across the country for first-time passport holders who want to apply in person, but there often aren’t many in North Carolina.
Do I need a Real ID if I have a passport?
The federal REAL ID Act will go into effect Wednesday, May 7, so it’s pretty timely to get a passport book and/or a passport card, especially if you’ve had a difficult time getting a DMV appointment.
Passports and passport cards are both REAL ID compliant.
Where is the passport acceptance fair?
The upcoming passport fair in Stanly County will be at the Stanfield Post Office, located at 213 W Stanly St. in Stanfield.
The event will start at 12 p.m. and end at 4 p.m.
Are appointments required?
Appointments will not be required, so you can stop in at any point during that time, the Department of State’s website says.
What is needed to apply for a passport?
The fairs are only for those who have never had a passport. So if you need to renew an expired one, you can do so online or by mail according to the department.
Here is a list of what you need when applying for a new passport book:
A passport application form (which can be used for applying for both a passport book and a passport card)
Evidence of U.S. citizenship that is original or a replacement with a photocopy (birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth, certificate of naturalization, certificate of citizenship)
Physical photo ID with a photocopy (Driver’s license, certificate of naturalization, certificate of citizenship, government employee ID, U.S. military or military dependent ID, U.S. permanent resident card, etc.)
Passport photo (color photo taken in the last 6 months) Full list of photo requirements can be found online at travel.state.gov.
Application fee (which is $130 for passport books and $30 for passport cards) and a $35 execution fee. Application fees are $130 for passport books ($100 for children under 16) and $30 for passport cards ($15 for children under 16).
Will I get my passport at the event?
At the special passport acceptance fairs, facilities do not issue passports.
Instead, they offer routine and expedited processing for applications mailed off, which can take about four to six weeks for routine service and two to three weeks for expedited service — not including mailing times.
If you need a passport quicker than that timeframe (specifically in less than two weeks), you should make an appointment at a passport agency or center.
At this time, this weekend’s special passport acceptance fair is the only one scheduled in North Carolina for the next two months, but new events are added each week.
You can keep an eye out for more fairs, along with additional information, online at travel.state.gov.
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 2:11 PM with the headline "A rare passport fair is coming to NC, just ahead of the REAL ID deadline."
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