UC Riverside students and employees can now take their first step towards international travel on campus.

Campus Business Services is providing passport application and renewal services at the Highlander Service Station near the HUB Plaza. The office began offering the service in July and has seen a steady stream of applications since then. As of mid-September, the office had processed a little over 60 applications.

The department along with International Affairs plan to highlight the new service at its Passport Fair on Oct. 9, which will be held during the 24th Annual Worldfest Education Abroad Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Passport Fair was last held on campus in 2019 and was paused in 2020 due to the pandemic. The department has had requests for its return since then, particularly from faculty members traveling or assisting students in Education Abroad programs.

At the fair, students and employees can apply for or renew passports without an appointment if they provide the necessary paperwork listed in the passport checklist.  

The Worldfest event will feature tables and tents at the Tomás Rivera Library with information on Education Abroad opportunities. Kate Fitzgerald, a student services advisor with Education Abroad, said many students taking part in the program are applying for their first passport so it was a natural fit to partner with Campus Business Services to make the process easier for them.

“As students are getting excited about traveling to Canada, or South Africa, or China or wherever, they can have that motivation to fill out their passport application and get it done that day,” she said.

In the past, representatives from the U.S. Postal Service or local passport agency came to campus for the fairs. But Campus Business Services is now authorized to handle applications with the new service at the Highlander Service Station, a first for the campus.

Employees and students can make appointments Tuesdays and Thursdays. Applicants must bring the necessary documents along with payment by check or money order. A passport photo will be taken at the office. The application is then forwarded to the U.S. Department of State for processing, which can take about six to eight weeks.

George Dobison, mail services supervisor for Campus Business Services, said offering passport applications as a regular service on campus was a natural expansion. It saves the campus community from having to make a trip to the post office or another government office where they may face long waits, he said.

“The goal was to make it as convenient as possible,” Dobison said.

Graduate student Angelez Vargas learned about the new service on R’Space and made an appointment to get her first passport in mid-September.

“I always wanted to but never found the time to get it done or look into it,” she said.

For students, going to the post office during the day between classes can be inconvenient, Vargas said. Having it at a central campus location where she can stop in between classes made it easy, Vargas said. Now, she and her husband, who have been talking about visiting Europe, will be ready to travel, she said.

Graduate student Cole Twogood said he didn’t know it was a new service when he made his appointment. He’s going to Madrid, Spain, in December for a family trip and his mother suggested he check to see if he could get it done on campus.

“It was extremely easy,” Twogood said.