Thanks to an agreement between the Hudson County Clerk’s office and the U.S. State Department, passports will again be issued from the office at 595 Newark Avenue.
The county was banned from issuing passports and other public records last year when federal officials discovered that several employees of the county’s public records offices were selling passports and birth certificates as part of an elaborate phony identification scheme.
In what is still considered an ongoing investigation, five people have been charged in the sale of these documents. Jean Anderson, former deputy registrar of Hudson County’s Office of Vital Statistics has pled guilty to the sale of fake birth records.
County Clerk Javier Inclan said that the agreement to begin reissuing passports – which was brokered by Rep. Bob Menendez – came with some important requirements, namely, that his office cannot issue birth certificates, and that a barrier be placed between the department handling vital statistics and the one issuing passports. The Justice Department also required that new employees be hired for the department issuing passports.
Inclan had sought out help in restoring the department after taking steps to “restore the integrity of the department.”
Menendez said he had met with federal officials to get the service restore, noting that new regulations set to go into place shortly will require passports for all countries in the Western Hemisphere including Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas, and that Hudson County had significant requests. In the eight months prior to being shut down in August 2004, Hudson County processed 10,000 passport requests.
“This is expected to grow when the new law goes into effect,” he said.
As part of the agreement, Inclan agreed that his office would issue no birth certificates while he is clerk of Hudson County. Menendez, however, said this aspect may also be worked out in the future.
“I gave my promise that we would not issue birth certificates as long as I am county clerk,” Inclan said.
But Menendez said he will be working to address this issue as well, saying that at one point the Department of State had claimed no passports would be issued by the county either.
Currently birth certificates can only be obtained through Trenton or through municipal offices such as Bayonne, Kearny, North Bergen, Weehawken and Hoboken which have these services.
County Executive Tom DeGise said he is seeking to get these services for all municipalities in the county, which would get around the county ban, since birth certificates are required to obtain a passport.
While some post offices issue passports, Inclan said, they have limited hours and do not have the same level of expertise that his office has.
The county will begin issuing passports as of Sept. 26, although people begin scheduling appointments starting on Sept. 19. For more information or to make an appointment call (2010 795-6130). Passport information can also be obtained via web at http://www.travel.state.gov.
The county clerk will also provide information via web at http://www.hudsoncountyclerk.org/service/passport.