Subscribe
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — Rifle? Check. Body armor? Check. Passport?! Uh... If you're traveling to a combat zone, obtaining a passport may be the last thing on your mind.
But if you hope to spend your rest and recuperation leave sunbathing in the Greek Isles, enjoying the sights Dublin, or trailblazing the Australian Outback, you'll need to have one.
If you don't have one, you may not be entirely out of luck. The Combined Legal Center here accepts 20 passport applications per month for processing at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
However, other military legal offices in Iraq that accept passport applications are: Al Asad Airbase; Logistical Support Center Camp Adder; Camp Taji and Victory Base Complex.
Maj. Brian Nomi, from Camarillo, Calif., and chief of legal assistance at the JBB CLC said the application limit is reached early each month as they accept applications on the first of each month and process them on a first-come, firstserve basis.
"We fill up all of our slots on pretty much the first or second day of every month," said Nomi who is also assigned to the 304th Sustainment Brigade.
To apply for a passport, service members must apply in person and bring the following items: two passport photos, a completed but unsigned application form (DS-11, 2008 version), a $100 money order payable to "U.S. Department of State," an original birth certificate or naturalization certificate, a leave form or signed passport prioritization form, and two forms of identification.
Nomi said service members should apply for a passport as early as possible, but no later than two months before taking leave. Service members can expect to receive their passports approximately five weeks after submitting their application, he said.
Nomi said the most common mistake Soldiers make is failure to produce an original copy of their birth certificate. Although temporary passports (good for up to one year) may be obtained stateside without a birth certificate, this service is not offered in theater, Nomi said.
Despite the limitations, Nomi said there are special situations that can be accommodated, such as when a service member needs to take emergency leave to a foreign country.
An emergency situation might include a case where a Soldier's Family member has unexpectedly passed away in a foreign country, and the Soldier needs a passport to visit the Family. In this case, the application will receive special priority.
Nomi said he has not yet processed such a request since arriving in theater in November.
Because of the strict limitations and high demand, Nomi suggests that service members try to obtain their passport prior to leaving the states. Also, he said they shouldn't be upset if they aren't able to receive one before taking leave.
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2009 09:24 |
| Story ID: | 33261 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 188 |
| Downloads: | 162 |
This work, Got Passport? Learn how to get your passport in Iraq, by SGT Alexander Snyder, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
