A growing number of American citizens are traveling overseas, she said, and the new center will ensure that they are able to get their passports in a timely and efficient manner. The Department of State strives to continually improve the passport production process by keeping up with the latest technology and producing a passport that all American citizen travelers can be proud to carry, the career ambassador said. The new Charleston Passport Center will eventually become the Bureau of Consular Affairs' largest passport issuance facility and employ about 300 persons. The center's large-scale passport processing capabilities will help relieve growing workload pressures at 15 passport agencies located throughout the United States. When fully operational, officials said, the Charleston center is expected to produce up to 2 million of the more than 7 million U.S. passports issued annually.
Guests enjoy the reception following the ceremony.
Timothy Wiesnet, director of the new center, said he expected the 65,000-sq. Like the Portsmouth facility, Charleston will not have a public acceptance counter and has not been designated to accept walk-in applications from passport customers. Senator and Mrs. Hollings, center, tour facility with Director Tim Wiesnet, right. The new digital imaging system is designed to improve the security of the U.S. passport by printing an image of the bearer and data directly in the passport book. The new process will help deter fraud and crime associated with the illegal use of U.S. passports, officials said.