If you need a passport — either for the first time or a renewed one — then the Passport Acceptance Event in Brookhaven Thursday may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Congressman Michael Guest’s office in the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce building, 230 South Whitworth Ave., will host the event from 9 a.m. until noon.

In order to obtain a passport, you must provide evidence of United States Citizenship — in addition to your government-issued identification or driver’s license, you must have a certified copy of your birth certificate. No photocopies will be accepted.

Complete a passport application — available for download at https://travel.state.gov — and get a passport photograph. These can be obtained at a U.S. Post Office or Department of Motor Vehicles, or you can upload one when you download your application.

You must also have payment with you — checks, money orders, or credit cards are accepted; no cash payments.

Requirements for the photo, prices, etc., can be found at the Travel.State.gov website.

In 2024, Rep. Guest’s office hosted the event in Brookhaven for the first time, and 44 passports were issued. A few had to be refused, a staffer said, because the applicant did not provide a birth certificate.

As a courtesy, The Department of State began sending agents in 2024 to congressional offices within a limited distance from New Orleans, and found that Brookhaven’s Chamber offered an ideal place to provide the service, the staffer said. The assistance can shorten the normal turn-around time by a couple of weeks.

Because a REAL ID is now required to fly commercially in the U.S., access military bases, or access secure federal facilities, a REAL ID must be used in order to obtain a passport. Anyone renewing a current passport may not be required to have one. REAL IDs can be obtained at any Mississippi driver license station. For faster service, schedule an appointment at www.dps.ms.gov.

For more information on the passport event, call 769-241-6120.