Need a passport? Hurry up and wait.

Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard

Travel tip to folks flying to Mexico during spring break: Apply for a passport now, or you may be sorry.

For years, U.S. air travelers needed only a birth certificate and a government-issued photo identification, such as a driver's license, to fly to Mexico, Canada and other nearby countries.

But on Tuesday, a new rule took effect requiring air travelers to have passports to fly to Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

The rule change is an attempt to bolster border security - and it has prompted tens of thousands of people nationwide to apply hastily for passports at designated post offices and other public offices that accept the applications on behalf of the State Department.

But the demand hasn't led the U.S. Postal Service to hire new workers to handle the increased business.

At the downtown Eugene post office, that's meant some long lines and waits.

"I stopped in yesterday, and I had 25 people ahead of me at 3:30 in the afternoon, so I decided to come back today," said Jessie Tillett of Eugene, as she waited in line.

Tillett, a Parker Elementary School teacher, will visit Mexico during spring break with her 1-month-old daughter, Amerie.

Frank Earle, customer relations coordinator with the Postal Service in Portland, said twice as many people as normal are visiting post offices for passport business.

Nationally, the State Department expects to issue about 18 million passports in the year ending Sept. 30, compared with 12 million last year.

The State Department takes about two months to process a passport application, Earle said.

With spring break at the end of March, Earle advised people to get their applications in no later than Friday.

Adult passports cost $97, and passports for those ages 16 and younger cost $82. The surge of 6 million additional applications should yield about an extra $500 million for the federal government. Renewals cost $67, and an expedited passport can be had in 10 days for an extra $60, Earle said.

For now, the new rule affects only air travelers. Land and sea travelers to the neighboring countries will need to have passports for travel starting Jan. 1, 2008, he said.

To avoid long waits in post office lobbies, passport applicants should arrive early because things get busier later in the day, he said. The downtown Eugene post office's passport unit opens at 8:30 a.m., but on a recent morning, a line of applicants already had begun forming a few minutes after 8. The line swelled to about 30 people by late afternoon.

Earle suggested that people can save time by downloading passport forms from the State Department's Web site, http://travel.state.gov, and filling them out before they arrive at the post office.

To meet demand, the State Department has hired 250 more employees to approve and process the applications, and also has hired more contract workers.

At the downtown post office, however, two workers are processing applications, the same number as usual, Earle said. A third employee helps in the late afternoon, he said.

"We are doing the best we can with the crews that we have," Earle said.

During a recent lunch hour, about a dozen applicants waited in the post office.

Marylou Lewis had been sitting on a bench with her 9-year-old twins, Austin and Nathan, for about 45 minutes.

The boys needed their first passports because their mother is taking them on a Caribbean cruise during spring break. Their father, Hersel Lewis, also was there.

The Lewises are not flying to Mexico, but their cruise ship will be stopping at Mexican cities. Lewis said she was advised to get passports for her sons in case they need to be hospitalized in Mexico.

When the family arrived at the post office, Lewis had not told her sons about the trip yet.

"Where are we going?" Austin asked, after listening to his mother answer questions from a Register-Guard reporter.

"You'll find out when I tell the reporter," their mother replied, before saying, "Mexico. We're going on a cruise."

"All right," the boys said, smiling broadly.

WHERE TO APPLY FOR A PASSPORT

Post offices in Lane County that accept passport applications:

Eugene: 520 Willamette St., weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Veneta: 25042 Dunham Ave., Tuesday through Thursday,

9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Harrisburg: 204 Smith St., weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to noon and

1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Blue River: 91160 McCauley St., Tuesday through Friday,

10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Florence: 770 Maple St., Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m.

to 1:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more locations: Visit www.usps.com, (click on post office locator, then passport application services), or www.state.gov.

NEW PASSPORT RULES By air: Everyone, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the United States and Canada, Mexico or any other country must present a valid passport or other approved travel document, such as an alien registration card.

By land or sea: As of Jan. 1, 2008, all international travelers must present a valid passport or travel document

U.S. territories: Passport requirement does not apply to U.S. citizens traveling directly to or from a U.S. territory such as Guam, Puerto Rico or American Samoa