State Department bans 1,400 nonprofit libraries from processing passports

Libraries lose passport services without warning

The U.S. State Department told nonprofit public libraries to stop processing passport applications as of Feb. 13, 2026.

The agency began sending cease-and-desist letters in late fall 2025.

A State Department spokesperson said federal law bars non-governmental groups from collecting passport application fees.

Government-run libraries are not affected. The cutoff caught many communities off guard, and bipartisan members of Congress are now pushing to reverse it.

Libraries have offered this service since 1975

Public libraries, post offices, and county clerks have accepted passport applications on behalf of the State Department since 1975.

The State Department did not explain why it is enforcing this interpretation now, after decades of allowing it.

Some nonprofit libraries had offered the service for nearly 20 years without any issues. The agency simply began sending letters telling nonprofit libraries to stop.

How many libraries are we talking about?

The State Department says affected libraries make up less than 1% of more than 7,500 passport acceptance facilities nationwide.

But the American Library Association puts the number of nonprofit libraries at risk at about 1,400, which is roughly 15% of all public libraries in the country.

The actual impact depends on how many of those libraries currently offer passport processing.

Northeastern states feel the most pain

The damage is not spread evenly. In Pennsylvania, 85% of public libraries are nonprofits.

In Maine, the figure is 56%, and in Rhode Island it is 54%. New York sits at 47% and Connecticut at 46%.

Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states face the steepest losses because of how their library systems were historically set up.

That structure, which worked fine for decades, now puts them at a disadvantage.

Rural counties are left with almost nothing

In Perry County, Pa., the Marysville-Rye Library was one of only two passport facilities serving 556 square miles.

Now the county courthouse is the only option left, and it accepts applications just three hours on Tuesdays. The county lost more than 80% of its local passport appointment availability overnight.

The library had offered passport services since 2008, and Perry County provides it no direct funding, making the financial blow even harder to absorb.

Passport fees kept some libraries running

For some nonprofit libraries, passport processing fees are not a minor perk.

They are a lifeline. At the Marysville-Rye Library, passport fees made up about two-thirds of annual revenue, around $63,000 a year.

Lawmakers have warned that some libraries may have to lay off staff, cut programs, or close entirely without that income.

The communities losing passport access may also lose the libraries themselves.

Congress members inform Secretary of State

Democratic and Republican members of Congress from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking him to extend the program while Congress works on a permanent fix.

They requested an extension through the end of the calendar year. The original deadline had already been pushed once, from December 2025 to Feb. 13, 2026.

Two bills would restore library eligibility

Pennsylvania Reps. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat, and John Joyce, a Republican, introduced H.R. 6997, the Community Passport Services Access Act.

The bill would change the Passport Act of 1920 to let 501(c)(3) nonprofit libraries stay in the program.

Sen. John Fetterman introduced a companion bill in the Senate, S. 3733, co-sponsored by Sen. Dave McCormick, both of Pennsylvania.

The American Library Association endorsed both bills.

Passport demand is surging at the worst time

Real ID enforcement for domestic air travel took effect on May 7, 2025. Americans who did not upgrade their driver’s licenses now need a passport or another approved ID to board a plane.

Lawmakers wrote that demand for passports is climbing at the same time the number of places people can get one is shrinking. Libraries had been among the most accessible options for working families and rural residents.

The State Department says options remain

The agency says 99% of the U.S. population lives within 20 miles of a designated passport processing site. Remaining options include post offices, county clerk offices, and government-run libraries.

The State Department said it would work to find new partners in areas where a facility closes. It did not say how many libraries have been affected so far.

Libraries filled gaps that others could not

The Otis Library in Norwich, Conn., offered passport services for 18 years before stopping in November 2025. The local post office had regularly sent people there, especially outside regular business hours.

Library staff helped applicants with language barriers and those who needed to bring children along. The library’s director said she still gets daily calls from people looking for the service.

A fix is possible, but Congress must act

The bipartisan bills in the House and Senate would restore library eligibility if passed.

The State Department has expressed support for the pending legislation, according to the congressional letter. Without a legislative fix, nonprofit libraries stay out of the program.

People who used their local library for passport services can search for the nearest alternative on the State Department’s facility locator at travel. state.gov.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• ACA enrollment drops by over 1 million for 2026 after COVID-era subsidies expire
• Democrats Want to Cut the Cord Between Local Cops and ICE
• Republicans Mad at Trump for Sending $45 Million to Taliban