Renew my Passport by Mail (2024)

We want to make sure you get your application right the first time. Make sure you:

1. Submit your most recent passport with your application. Sign and date Form DS-82.
2. Complete all sections of your form including entering your correct Social Security number. Do not leave anything blank. If you're renewing by mail, sign and date the form on your own.
3. Closely follow ourpassport photo requirements.
4. Include your name change document (such as marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order) if your current name is not the same as the name on your most recent passport.

DS-82:U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals

Use our Form Filler toolto fill out your form online and then print it. The Form Filler will save time and reduce errors caused by handwriting. If you are experiencing technical issues with the Form Filler, download a PDF.

Please note:

• The Form Filler will create the correct form for you based on the data you enter. Double check the information you entered for your date of birth and previous passport issuance date if you did not get the form you expected to receive.
• You mustprovide a Social Security number, if you have been issued one.
  • If you do not have a Social Security number, you must sign and date a statement that says“I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the followingis true and correct: I have never been issued a Social Security Number by the Social Security Administration.”
• You can renew a passport book, a passport card, or both documents.
• You can use Form DS-82 to apply for your first passport book if you only have a passport card, or to apply for your first passport card if you only have a passport book.
• You may request a larger passport book atno additional cost by checking the 'large book' box at the top of the DS-82.
• Complete all pages of the form. Sign and date your form before you mail it.
• Print your form on single-sided paper. We do not accept double-sided forms.

Tips for renewing from Canada:

• Do not include your Canadian Social Insurance Number on the form in place of your U.S. Social Security number.

When you renew by mail or in person, you must submit your most recent passport(s) with your application.

• Renewing both a passport book and card? Submit both documents.
• Renewing either a passport book or a card? Submit the document you want to renew. For example, if you lost your passport card and wanted to renew it, you cannot submit a passport book as an alternative.
• Have a passport book and never had a card? Submit your book if you want a card.
• Have a passport card but never had a book? Submit your card if you want a book.

We will return your most recent passport book or card, but generally it will come in a separate mailing up to 8 weeks after your completed passport arrives.

If the name you are currently using is different from the name on your most recent U.S. passport, you must provide acertified copy of the legal name changedocument. Examples include:

• Marriage certificate
• Divorce decree
• Court-ordered name change document

Your name change document will be returned to you in a separate mailing from your new passport.

Tips for renewing from Canada:

• If your Canadian divorce decree does not specify a spouse is returning to their maiden name, you must provide proof of your birth or maiden name (such as an original or certified copy of your birth certificate).

Attachonephotograph to the application. To avoid processing delays, be sure your photo meets all thephotorequirements.

Please note:

• Staple the phototo the application. Please use 4 staples vertically in the corners as close to the outer edges as possible. See example below.
• Do not bendthe photo.
• You cannot wear eyeglasses in your passport photo (unless you have a signed note from your doctor that you can include with your application).

*How to staple your photo to your application:

Include the fees in the form of apersonal check or money order.

• The application fees listed above are for routine service. Expedited service costs an additional $60.
• Make your check or money order payable to "U.S. Department of State."
• Please print the full name and date of birth of the applicant on the front of the check* or money order.
• Do not send cash. We are not responsible for cash sent through the mail.
• You cannot pay online for passport services at this time. Some companies may charge a fee for you to fill out your passport form. Read the fine print and disclaimers on their websites. These companies are not affiliated with the Department of State.
• Renewing from Canada? Personal checks or money orders must draw on U.S. financial institutions based in the United States and be payable in U.S. dollars. Acceptable U.S. checks and money orders must have a 9-digit routing number. Please do not include 1-2 day or express delivery fees with your payment. These services are not available to U.S. residents in Canada.

For information on forms of payment and a full list of fees for routine and rush service, please seePassport Fees.

*How to fill out your check

Mail your completed application and supporting documents to one of the addresses below. You must:

• Sign and date the form
• Include your most recent passport
• Include your name change document (if applicable)
• Provide one photo
• Include your fees

Where you send the application depends on where you live, and how quickly you want us to process your passport.

If you live in the United States, use the United States Postal Service (USPS) to mail your renewal application and supporting documents. If you live in Canada, use Canada Post.

Where to Send My Application and Supporting Documents

Want Faster Delivery?

• You may choose one or both of the following shipment options:
  • Delivery to us: Purchase USPS' Priority MailExpressfor faster shipping of your application to us. The price for this service varies depending on the area of the country.
  • Return to you: Pay $19.53 for 1-2 day delivery. This means you will receive your passport1-2 days after we send it. Include the fee with your passport fee in your check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State for fastest return shipping. Do not submit a return envelope to us with postage pre-paid.
• Youmay receive your passport and the supporting documents submitted with your application in separate mailings.
• If you are renewing a passport card, we will send it to you viaFirst Class Mail. We do not use 1-2 day delivery services for passport card only applications.

Shipping Reminders

Do not send your application using delivery services such as UPS, FedEx, or DHL. Only USPS or Canada Post can deliver to the PO Box addresses listed on Form DS-82. If you use UPS, FedEx, DHL, or another company to send your application, the applicationwill be returned to you.

Make sure you include enough postage to mail your application and supporting documents. Check with USPS on shipment options.

Get My Passport Fast: You may be eligible to renew in person at a passport agency or center if you need a passport quickly.

Outside the United States (any country besides Canada): Contact yourU.S. embassy and consulate.

You cansubscribe to email updatesabout your application status, andlearn more about each status update.

Note: It may take 2 weeks from the day you apply until your application status is “In Process.” During these 2 weeks, your application is delivered to a mail facility, your payment is processed, and your application is scanned and sent to us. If your passport status update says “Not Available,” your application and supporting documents are safely on their way to us.

No. If you are renewing your passport with Form DS-82, acceptance facilities will not take your application. Acceptance facilities should never charge you a $35 fee for renewing your passport. These locations should only charge you a $35 fee if you are applying using Form DS-11.

You must mail in your renewal application (Form DS-82) yourself. Mailing your Form DS-82 can be confusing since some post offices are also passport acceptance facilities. However, postal employees should not review your Form DS-82 renewal application and supporting documents before you mail it. We recommend you ask USPS to send your Form DS-82 and supporting documents using a trackable delivery method. Do not use UPS, FedEx, or DHL since the address you need to send your Form DS-82 and supporting documents to is a Post Office (PO) Box.

Normal "wear and tear"of a U.S. passport is expected and does not count as "damage." Normal wear includes the bend of a passport after being carried in your back pocket or fanning of the visa pages after extensive opening and closing.

If your passport has been significantly damaged, especially the book cover or the page displaying your personal data and photo, you cannot renew it and must apply for a new passport. Damage that might require you to apply in person for a new passport includes water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), a hole punch, or other injuries.

Yes, but you can only renew in person at a passport agency or center if you meet the requirements on our Get my Passport Fast page.

Yes.

If you have a passport bookandyou are eligible to use Form DS-82, you may apply for a passport card as a renewal by mail even if it is yourfirstpassport card.

If you have a passport card and you are eligible to use Form DS-82, you may apply for a passport book as a renewal by mail even if it is your first passport book.

Yes. Your passport does not have to be expired for you to renew it.

We recommend renewing your passport well ahead of planned international travel, even if it still has a few months validity left on it.Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip. Learn more about yourdestination's entry requirements.

When you renew by mail, our intake facility will review your application and supporting documents before an agency or center begins processing it.

The intake facility will send you a letter if you did not complete the application or provide all supporting documents. The letter may include a QR code with a link to our website. Common reasons for getting this letter include:

• No signature or date on your form
• Bad or missing photo
• Pages of your form are missing
• Wrong or missing fees
• Most recent passport is missing
• Most recent passport issued over 15 years ago

Follow the instructions in the letter. You must include the letter we sent you when you resubmit the new application.

When your application is at the intake facility, your application status will show as "Not Available" if you check our Online Passport Status System. Your application will be "In Process" once a passport agency or center begins processing your new application.

Yes, but the passport must have been issued within the last 15 years.

In addition, you must have the passport in your possession, it cannot be damaged, you must have been age 16 or older when the passport was issued, and it must have been issued in your current name or you must show legal proof of your name change.

Yes. If yourfamily member or spouse is also renewing a passport, you may want to sendmultiple applications in the same envelope. You can pay for the applications using one check or money order. Make sure to add up the correct fees for multiple applications.

Yes. Once you receive your new passport, your old passport is not valid for international travel. However, if your old passport is linked to a valid visa, you can still use the valid visa. You must travel with both your new andold passport in this case.

If you are behind in child support payments of $2,500 or more, you cannot get a passport. For more information, please seeChild Support Payments and Getting a U.S. Passport.

After we print your passport, we will send it to you and return your supporting documents. How we send your passport and supporting documents depends if you applied for a book and/or a card, if you paid an additional fee for 1-2 day delivery, and where you live.

I applied for a passport book only:You may receive your newly-issued passport and your citizenship documents in two separate mailings.You may wait 8 weeks after receiving your passport before you receive a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We can send your passport book via a 1-2 day delivery service.

I applied for a passport card only:You may receive your newly-issued passport card and your citizenship documents in two separate mailings.You may wait 8 weeks after receiving your passport before you receive a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We only send the passport card via First Class Mail. We do not send cards via 1-2 day delivery services.

I applied for both a passport book and passport card:You may receive three separate mailings; one with your citizenship documents, one with your newly-issued passport book, and one with your newly-issued passport card.You may wait 8 weeks after receiving your passport book before you receive a second and third mailing with your passport card and citizenship documents.

I live in Canada: If you live in Canada, send the renewal application to us via Canada Post. We will return your passport and supporting documents to you via USPS First Class Mail. One-to-two day and express delivery service is not available if you live in Canada.

When you receive your new passport, the number on the document will be different from the number on your previous passport.

Please note:

• Update your DHS Trusted Traveler account with your new passport information.