The Wise County District Clerk will offer passport services starting Jan. 5, 2026. Christian Delbert | Adobe Stock
Starting Jan. 5, Wise County residents won’t have to leave the county to get the documentation they need to leave the country.
The Wise County District Clerk’s Office was recently approved by the U.S Department of State to offer full passport services, District Clerk Loucrecia Biggerstaff shared with the Messenger earlier this week.
The District Clerk’s office will accept applications at their temporary location, 308 W. Main St. in Decatur, until they move back inside their permanent location at the Wise County Courthouse (101 N. Trinity Street in Decatur). Contractors are currently completing punch list items on the courthouse now, and government offices will return once all work is completed.
It’s been nearly 19 years since the service was offered in Wise County. Residents were required to travel to Denton, Bowie or locations in Tarrant County for in-person passport services. The county stopped accepting passport applications after legislative changes posed additional staffing challenges for the office.
As it turns out, getting federal permission to bring the service back was challenging, too.
Biggerstaff said she has been working on the passport project for more than a year. She submitted the passport acceptance facility application in January. Five months later, she said the State Department finally responded — informing her that her office would have to apply again. The passport bureaucracy winds shifted after Biggerstaff reached out to Texas House District 64 Rep. Andy Hopper, who passed her concerns along to U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill.
Within days, Biggerstaff said she received notice that the clerk’s office had been approved as a designated passport acceptance facility.
“I guess it helps to know the right people,” she said.
Beginning Jan. 5, the Wise County District Clerk Office will accept passport applications 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday
Before you visit the District Clerk’s Office, check the State Department website to make sure you have all the documentation required for a passport application.
In short, you will need an official photo ID, such as a driver’s license, and a certified long-form birth certificate, which is the more detailed version issued by the county where you were born. The clerk’s office will have all passport forms available at the office, including renewal forms. Forms and fee information are also available online at travel.state.gov, and Biggerstaff said her staff will be happy to answer questions about the process at 940-627-5535.
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