Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Representative Joe Neguse announced that the U.S. Department of State will waive fees for replacement passports destroyed or damaged in the Marshall Fire. On Friday, Hickenlooper, Bennet, and Neguse sent a letter requesting passport fee waivers for Marshall Fire survivors. The Department of State approved the request the same day.
“Marshall Fire survivors deserve our help,” said Hickenlooper. “This fee waiver will help replace passports at no cost.”
“As our communities rebuild, I’m grateful that the Department of State will waive fees for replacing passports lost in the Marshall Fire,” said Bennet. “This will ease some financial burden for victims as they move forward and recover from this disaster.”
“As the Boulder community works to recover and rebuild from the devastating Marshall Fire, we are doing all we can to make their next steps as seamless as possible,” said Neguse. “This passport fee waiver will ensure folks can replace destroyed documents without paying a cost.”
More information on the passport fee waivers for Marshall Fire survivors can be found HERE or HERE.
The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 authorizes the president, through the Department of State, to waive U.S. passport application fees when passports are lost or destroyed in a major disaster, such as the Marshall Fire.
The Marshall Fire, now Colorado’s most destructive fire in history, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses on December 30, 2021. President Biden authorized a Major Disaster Declaration the following day to expedite federal assistance.
Marshall Fire survivors who need help replacing government documents such as passports, vaccine cards, or social security cards can reach out to Hickenlooper’s office at casework@hickenlooper.senate.gov or 303-244-1628.
The letter sent by Hickenlooper, Bennet, and Neguse to the Department of State is available HERE.
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