New passport requires more processing time

Tuesday, April 2nd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The State Department is advising overseas Americans with expiring passports to apply early for replacements because of new procedures that require more time.

Spokesman Philip Reeker said passports will no longer be issued by American embassies and consulates abroad but instead will be handled by a processing center in Portsmouth, N.H.

Overseas applications for new passports will be sent to Portsmouth. The passports will be delivered to the appropriate embassy or consulate in a week, according to Reeker's estimate.

New, more secure passports with enhanced security features are being introduced April 8. The new technology required for the upgrades is not available at embassies or consulates.

Reeker said more secure travel documents are needed in the post-Sept. 11 environment.

``Getting these more secure passports into circulation will help minimize the misuse of American passports by criminals, terrorists and others,'' he said.