Planning an out-of-country trip in 2026?
If so, now is the time to get your passport prior to flying to your foreign destination.
To help residents prepare for their upcoming excursions, the Lebanon County Prothonotary’s Office is sponsoring the seventh edition of its Passport Acceptance Day on Saturday, March 7, in room 104 of the county municipal building, 400 S. 8th St.. Lebanon.
Or perhaps you need a license to carry a firearm in Pennsylvania.
The Lebanon County Sheriff’s Office will also be open that day to process applications for Pennsylvania licenses to carry firearms. The sheriff’s department is in room 3 of the county municipal building.
Operating hours for both events are from 8 a.m. until noon.
“This will be the seventh time hosting. Our first time was in the fall of 2019,” said prothonotary Barb Smith. “We’ve done it twice in the fall and this will be the fifth time for the spring.”
Smith said her department skipped hosting the program in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, department staff still took 1,414 photos during that year.
In March 2025, they processed 196 passport applications, assisted with 16 renewals and took 111 photos during that four-hour window. In October, the office processed 50 applications with 38 photos.
Smith told LebTown that “springtime is definitely the time of year when we see more interest,” which she believes coincides with people wishing to travel to foreign countries during spring break or for their summer vacations.
She added that many travelers who go away during the holiday season in the winter months tend to plan their travel further in advance than spring/summer travelers. That means winter vacationers who need a passport tend to get them prior to the October Acceptance Day session that’s been offered by county officials in the past.
Smith noted that no appointment is needed for Passport Acceptance Day, meaning transactions are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. She said a reason this service is offered on the weekend is so residents who work weekdays can get their passports without taking time off work.
Smith told LebTown that current processing times for passports is four to six weeks for routine service or two to three weeks for expedited service, which costs an additional $60 per application. She added that the processing window begins when the application is received by the passport agency.
Lebanon County Commissioners recently voted to allow eight county employees in the prothonotary’s office to work four hours of overtime to assist individuals looking to get a passport on that day.
A press release provided to LebTown following the meeting noted that anyone applying for a passport must appear in person (including children and both parents except in special circumstances).
What you need
Individuals seeking a passport must:
- Bring along a passport application filled out in black ink. (Applications are available at the prothonotary’s office.)
- Bring an original birth certificate that includes parent’s names and a raised seal or naturalization certificate.
- Bring a passport photo or one can be taken there for $10.
- Present an old passport that has expired five years or longer.
- Have a driver’s license or state ID card with a photo for both parents requesting a passport for their children.
Passport fee schedule
The following fees are payable to the U.S. Department of State and must be in the form of a check or money order (cash is not accepted for the cost of the passport):
- Passport book: 16 years and older: $130; passport card: $30
- Passport book: 15 years and younger: $100; passport card: $15
There is also a $35 processing fee for each application, which is payable to the Lebanon County prothonotary. Smith noted this payment may be cash, check, or money order, and processing fees for multiple passports may be combined into that payment, which is separate from the one made to the U.S. Department of State.
There is no processing fee for active or retired military personnel.
Smith said there are some extenuating circumstances for these rules, and individuals who have questions should contact her office at 717-228-4418.
Passports are still available at the same location weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., which are the normal business hours for the county’s municipal building.
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