POUGHKEEPSIE – The US State Department is hiking the cost of a passport effective next Tuesday, July 13 and Dutchess County Clerk Bradford Kendall is encouraging people to apply now.

The current cost for a first time passport applicant over 16 is $100. The new fee will be $135. The fee for renewal will also increase, from $75 to $110. Minors under 16 will pay $105, up from $85.

This is the third time the State Department has raised fees in less than five years, Kendall said. Earlier this year, he asked officials in Washington to rescind the fee increase and consider other options.

To accommodate a potential rush to renew before the deadline, Kendall will keep the passport office at 22 Market Street in Poughkeepsie open on July 12 until 7 p.m.