COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — After years of being closed, the Collin County passport office will finally reopen next month.
The Collin County District Clerk's Office announced the office would be reopening Nov. 4 at the Collin County Courthouse, 2100 Bloom Dale Road, in McKinney. It will be located next to the District Clerk's front counter windows on the first floor.
This reopening comes after an effort by Collin County District Clerk Mike Gould, who took office in 2023.
"I'm extremely proud of the work of District Clerk Mike Gould in bringing the passport office back to Collin County," said Collin County Judge Chris Hill. "This fulfills a significant campaign promise made by Mr. Gould during his election. He has been committed to this project from day one and he has kept his promise to our community. It has been a pleasure working with him on this endeavor, and I’m grateful for the support of our Collin County congressional delegation. This passport office will be a tremendous blessing and resource for the people of Collin County."
The new office will at first operate by appointment only, with bookings through the District Clerk's website. There are plans for same-day, walkup services in the near future.
"North Texas is a hub for international travel, and Collin County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Texas," Rep. Collin Allred said in a statement. "Securing a passport will now be much more convenient with this new Collin County acceptance facility, which will offer additional passport services, including walk-up services. I was proud to work with Collin County and my colleagues Congressman Self and Congressman Fallon to help get this done."
The office has been closed since late 2018 when the Dallas Passport Agency suspended it indefinitely "over conflicting federal agency investigation results."
"Ms. Finley says that despite her office’s cooperation and being cleared of any wrongdoing or procedural missteps, both of her passport offices have been shut down, and at least four employees’ jobs are now at risk," read the statement from former district clerk Lynne Finley in 2018.
According to Finley at the time, the suspension was in connection to a five-year "multi-agency criminal investigation relating to passport fraud over documents dating back almost a decade."
"After an interview with two of Ms. Finley’s clerks and checking the office’s procedures, DSS agents exonerated Ms. Finley and her staff," the statement continued. "In January, the DSS provided the Bureau of Consular Affairs with findings that exonerated the Collin County offices from their ongoing investigation."
However, Finley claimed the Dallas Passport Agency "retaliated" against her office because "she pointed out flaws in that agency’s own procedures during the DSS investigation."
