Students hoping to take a trip overseas won’t need to travel nearly as far to acquire a passport.

The UGACard office in the Tate Student Center now accepts applications for U.S. passports. The office also manages passport renewals and takes passport photos.

“Hopefully it will make it a whole lot easier for students doing study abroad or spring break to get a passport,” said Dee Matthews, UGACard manager.

Matthews began looking into opening a passport office at the University after hearing about similar offices at other schools, including UNC Wilmington and the University of Arizona.

“We started to look at it last year,” Matthews said. “I contacted [UNC Wilmington] and asked about the process.”

The program started Nov. 3. Before that time, passport applicants in Clarke County had to go to either the Athens Public Library on Baxter Street or the U.S. Post Office on Olympic Drive.

Ashley Hancock, a freshman from Rossville, is considering studying abroad at some point. She does not yet have a passport, however.

“I think it’s great,” Hancock said. “The convenience of being able to get a passport on campus is awesome.”

Applicants must bring a birth certificate or expired passport and a state-issued photo identification to room 309 of the Tate Student Center to acquire a passport. They must also make a $75 payment to the U.S. State Department and a separate $25 execution fee to the UGACard office.

Matthews said the price is the same as what applicants pay at the county’s two other passport offices.

It normally takes about four to six weeks for someone to receive a passport after applying, Matthews said.

However, applicants may pay a $60 fee to receive their passport in about half that time.

The passport office will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.