Despite a law dating back to 1920 stating that only employees of the U.S. Department of State may grant and issue passports, public libraries of all kinds have provided passport services for more than 20 years. Passport Acceptance Facilities in libraries offer a needed option for the public and often provide significant revenue streams for libraries that provide them.

However, in October 2025, a representative of the State Department informed 501(c)(3) nonprofit U.S. public libraries by email that they must stop offering passport application services as of February 13. Public libraries that are departments of local municipal governments were not included in the determination. The American Library Association (ALA) estimates some 1,400 libraries—15 percent of the nation’s total—could be affected.

The rationale, a State Department spokesperson told the Associated Press, was that federal laws “clearly prohibit non-governmental organizations” from collecting and retaining fees for passport applications. Government-run libraries are not included in those regulations.

According to a State Department statement, there are more than 7,500 passport acceptance facilities in the United States, and “the number of libraries found ineligible makes up less than one percent of our total network.” It pointed out that 99 percent of the U.S. population lives within 20 miles of a designated passport processing location—a post office, county clerk’s office, or government-run library.

But these numbers may not be reassuring to people who are unable to visit the post office or a government facility during standard open hours, or working families, since both parents must be present to apply for children’s passports. Rural residents may have to travel longer distances to reach a passport facility.

“If you are a family with three kids, two adults, and you all have to be together to get your passport, we’re a very warm and welcoming place,” said Alice Knapp, CEO of Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT, which has provided passport services to its community since 1998. “We put out coloring sheets, games, books, as you would expect. It’s an opportunity for the family to come together without having to travel a great distance, as opposed to going to a post office where that’s not what they’re set up for.”

In addition, the demand for passports as proof of citizenship has grown in light of stricter voting laws proposed by Congressional Republicans and the current increase in raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

As ICE tactics ramped up around the country, Knapp told LJ, Ferguson Library connected with Building One Community, a local immigration community center, to help refine the library’s policy around potential threats. The board adopted a policy designating particular spaces as public, non-public, or private; it explicitly states on the library’s website that passport application spaces are non-public. “These areas are restricted to the public, and non-library personnel, including immigration agents and other law enforcement officials, are not permitted unless approved by Administration.”

“This has not been tested, and I don’t know what would happen,” noted Knapp, “But I do know that our regular guidelines we have from the state libraries are that if a transaction is occurring in the library, it is confidential.” Ferguson has a separate office for passport services, separated from the rest of the library by a waiting room.

United States Postal Service (USPS) employees and contractors who handle passport services are required to adhere to the Privacy Act of 1974 and specific USPS policies requiring them to handle applicant data confidentially. However, post offices themselves are considered public, government-owned spaces and offer no guarantees of safety to visitors.

The fees from libraries’ Passport Acceptance Facility programs also provide funds for supplies, salaries, and collections—a valuable source of revenue, particularly in light of possible budget cuts many libraries may see this year. In Connecticut, for example, Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed cuts to library funding in the state’s FY27 budget, including a 20 percent reduction for support to statewide library services. Ferguson Library processed almost 8,000 passport applications last year, netting just under $200,000. Part of that funds the program’s staff, who are trained passport agents; Knapp has not filled two vacant positions because of the potential loss of revenue.

BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR LIBRARY PASSPORT SERVICES

In response to the new regulations, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland—states that are most heavily affected, as older libraries are more likely to be nonprofits—sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking him to extend the existing passport acceptance program. Eighty-five percent of Pennsylvania public libraries are nonprofits, 56 percent of those in Maine, 54 percent in Rhode Island, 47 percent in New York, and 46 percent in Connecticut, according to ALA.

Bipartisan legislation has been proposed to counter the new ruling as well. In January, Pennsylvania Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04) and John Joyce (R-PA-13) proposed the Community Passport Services Access Act, H.R. 6997, which would amend the Passport Act of 1920 to enable all public libraries, whether organized as units of government or nonprofit organizations, to serve as passport acceptance facilities designated by the State Department. A companion bill, S. 3733, was introduce by Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and is pending in the Senate.

“For families in Northeastern Pennsylvania [NEPA], getting a passport should not mean taking a day off work or driving hours just to access a federal service,” said Rep. Robert Bresnahan (R-PA-08), one of the bill’s cosponsors. “Our local nonprofit libraries are already trusted hubs for the community, and this legislation simply gives them the tools to keep doing what they do best, serve people. Allowing libraries to receive processing fees ensures these services remain available, affordable, and right here at home, while strengthening the community institutions that so many NEPA families rely on.”

ALA has written to House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairs and ranking members to express its concerns. Supporters are encouraged to get in touch with their elected officials and thank them if they’ve supported these measures, or make them aware of the situation if they haven’t.

It’s not just about lost dollars, said Knapp; there is also a genuine sense of loss among employees who are now unable to perform a beloved, community-critical service. “We’re actually passing a resolution honoring the staff who worked at the Passport Agency,” Knapp told LJ, “and we’re reaching out to the mayor to do the same thing, so we can do a little public something to thank them.” Those staff members have been absorbed into other departments, and Knapp hopes they will stay with the library long enough for passport services to be restored.