The State Department is forcing certain libraries to shutter their passport services.

The State Department is forcing certain libraries to shutter their passport services.

Nonprofit libraries—or to be precise, any library that receives some of its money from 501 (c) (3) nonprofit contributions—are sundowning their passport services. The federal government announced this new dictum in late 2025, breaking with a long-standing tradition. And as Book Riot reported this morning, communities are starting to feel the effects. Also called the Passport Acceptance Facility program, library passport services previously allow…

State Department Orders Non-Profit Libraries to Halt Passport Services

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 eve…