Last month, the State Department informed certain public libraries that they would no longer be able to act as passport acceptance facilities, due to their status as a non-profit/non-governmental organization. Understandably, this has sparked a lot of concern for these libraries and communities.

I currently manage my library’s passport services, so I got wind that this was happening at the end of last year, when the State Department required every passport acceptance facility to submit an attestation of their status as a government organization. For most public libraries that accept passport applications, this wasn’t an issue, but libraries that operate as 501(c)(3) non-profits, such as the Otis Library in Norwich, Connecticut, were told that they had to end their passport services by February 13th, 2026.

Before I proceed, let’s take a little detour through the world of Public Library Funding in the United States. The vast majority of public library funding comes from local sources like property taxes and local government budgets, but libraries can also receive funding at the state and federal levels, and each state has different laws for how libraries are funded. Nonprofit public libraries operate independently from their municipal governments and are able to pursue more external funding opportunities through donations and grants. The percentage of nonprofit libraries varies significantly from state to state, but in places like Pennsylvania, nonprofit libraries make up 85% of all public libraries in the state, according to the American Library Association. 

Federal law states that only government organizations, such as post offices, county clerks, and public libraries, can act as passport agencies, so the State Department’s ruling only affects a small number of public libraries that have been offering passport services to this point. The exact number has not been released, but the State Department has said that the number of ineligible libraries under this new ruling makes up less than 1% of the total 7500+ passport agency network.

However, this doesn’t reflect the collective impact this change has had on the affected communities. In rural areas, these libraries may have acted as the primary passport agency for many people who would have otherwise had to drive long distances and take time off work to apply for a passport. Libraries that act as passport agencies can often provide extended hours for busy families to apply for passports and provide language services for applicants who speak a first language other than English. And for smaller libraries with limited funding, the lost revenue generated by passport services could mean facing budget cuts for staff or operating hours when library funding is already massively under attack.

The big question is: Why is this happening, or more specifically, why is this change happening now. Unfortunately, the State Department isn’t giving any clear answers. The department spokesperson did not answer questions about the timing of this change, nor has the State Department addressed how this error had been overlooked for so long. For context, the Otis Library had been processing passports for 18 years before this ruling was issued, so…what was the State Department doing for nearly two decades?

I’m not going to indulge in conspiracy theories, but the fact is that the State Department is eliminating critical passport services at a time when Republican legislators are trying to pass restrictive voting ID requirements, and federal agents are violently detaining and deporting citizens and non-citizens alike. The need for passport services is only going to increase, and regardless of whether this was a planned strategy, or just a poorly thought-out change, the impact remains the same.

Thankfully, there has been immediate bipartisan support for allowing nonprofit libraries to continue processing passport applications. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and Representative John Joyce (R-PA-13) drafted a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, highlighting the tremendous impact that this will have on their respective communities, and there are bills in both the House and Senate to amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920 allow nonprofit libraries to act as passport agencies.

The best way to help right now is to reach out to your federal representatives and let them know you want them to support this pending legislation, especially if you live in a community that has been impacted by this reduction. And if you have immediate passport needs that can’t be resolved due to these changes, reach out to your local or state representatives to see if their offices can provide assistance.