The State Department will expand access to its limited-edition “Patriot Passport”—a commemorative U.S. passport book issued for the nation’s 250th anniversary—by hosting single-day application events at all 27 regional passport agencies starting in August, according to an update tucked into an Associated Press politics brief published Thursday. Until now, the embossed passports, featuring enhanced security elements and a full-page portrait of President Donald Trump, were available only to in-person applicants at the Washington, D.C., agency. Officials say the pilot will help gauge nationwide demand while minimizing disruption to routine passport processing, which remains under strain from record travel volumes. Applicants must secure an in-person appointment on the designated event date and pay the standard $165 adult passport fee; no surcharge applies. Supplies are capped, with internal planning documents projecting 30,000 books for the first production run. For U.S. citizens traveling on business, the alternative design is fully valid for international travel and contains the latest biometric chip. Corporate travel managers should note, however, that some foreign immigration officers may require additional manual inspection of the unfamiliar visa pages—especially where automated e-gates rely on page-layout recognition. Brand-conscious multinationals have already fielded queries from executives eager to carry the anniversary document as a status symbol. Travel-risk firms advise employees to keep digital copies of both the data page and the commemorative interior artwork in case local officials request verification. The agency said it will evaluate feedback before deciding whether to make the Patriot Passport a permanent second-option design alongside the existing Next Generation passport book.
Source: Associated Press
