Twin Cities is promised office with same-day passport service

Last-minute treks to Chicago for a passport will be a thing of the past, Sen. Norm Coleman's office said Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department has promised the Twin Cities its own regional passport agency, where applicants can get same-day passport service, said Luke Friedrich, a spokesman for Coleman.

Now, the closest regional passport agency is in Chicago.

Coleman's office did not have information about when or where the agency would open.

Passports have become more important as Homeland Security rules require them more often. As of January, travelers must present photo ID and proof of citizenship -- a passport or birth certificate -- to cross the U.S.-Canadian boarder. Beginning in June 2009, those travelers will need a passport.

Coleman requested a passport agency last June, when passport delays topped the news. Both he and Sen. Amy Klobuchar said their offices have saved thousands of honeymoons and other trips in spite of those delays.

There are dozens of places in the metro area that accept passport applications, including six in Minneapolis, but none has same-day service.