BIDDEFORD — To help make it easier for area residents to apply for a U.S, passport, the Biddeford Post Office at 100 Alfred St. will offer extended hours for that purpose on Saturday, July 21.

Postal clerks will be available to process applications and take photographs for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. No appointments are necessary.

Routine passport processing times can be up to a period of six months, Post Office officials say.

This takes on additional importance because starting this coming year, some states will begin implementation of the new REAL ID Act.

Under that law, representatives of the T.S.A. will ask all travelers who don’t have a driver’s license from a compliant state or a state that has been granted an extension to the compliance deadline to produce an alternative form of acceptable identification, such as a U.S. passport.

Travelers won’t be able to pass through security checkpoints without this acceptable identification in some locations.

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said that Maine driver’s licenses and ID cards are currently valid for federal purposes such as air travel.

In October 2017, the Department of Homeland Security issued a one-year waiver for the State of Maine’s REAL ID Act compliance, which will allow federal agencies to continue to accept driver’s licenses and identification cards from Maine through Oct. 10, 2018.

During this period, Maine driver’s licenses and IDs will be accepted as valid identification for federal purposes, such as entrance to federal facilities and boarding commercial aircraft.

“Many people are seeing outdated or inaccurate information online, particularly via social media sites, so we want to remind everyone that this waiver is in place through Oct. 10, 2018,” said Dunlap.

The State of Maine must begin to offer REAL ID-compliant licenses by July 1, 2019, per the new Maine law, he said.

A passport book is required for all international travel by air and to enter the United States at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

Passport applicants must complete the application forms and bring an original proof of citizenship document and an acceptable photo identification document. They must also have their passport photo taken and pay all applicable passport fees.

During Saturday’s extended hours, the U.S. Post Office will accept first-time passport applications for the United States Department of State and offer services for both first-time and renewal passport applications.