Renew Your U.S. Passport · United States

Bring these documents

• Your most recent U.S. passport[1]Required

  Must be undamaged, issued within the last 15 years, in your current name (or include name-change documents), and issued when you were 16 or older.

• Completed Form DS-82 (mail only)[3]Required
• One new 2×2 passport photo[6]Required

  Taken within the last 6 months — must be different from your previous passport photo.

• Name-change documents (if applicable)[4]If applicable

  Certified marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Use Form DS-5504 if your last passport was issued less than 1 year ago — it's FREE.

• Payment by check or money order to 'U.S. Department of State'[5]Required

Step by step

1. 1

   Confirm you're eligible to use DS-82[1]

   All four must be true: most recent passport is undamaged, issued in the last 15 years, in your current name (or with name-change docs), and issued at age 16 or older. If any is false, you must use DS-11 in person.

   Open official page Source: travel.state.gov
2. 2

   Renew online (fastest) if available[2]

   Online passport renewal is now available to most eligible adult renewers. Create a MyTravelGov account and follow the prompts — pay by card, upload your photo.

   Renew online → Source: travel.state.gov
3. 3

   Or renew by mail with DS-82[1]

   Print DS-82 using the Form Filler, attach your old passport, new photo, name-change docs (if any), and a check. Mail to the address on the form (different for routine vs expedited).

   Open Form Filler → Download DS-82 (PDF)Source: travel.state.gov
4. 4

   Send by trackable mail[1]

   Use USPS Priority Mail Express or trackable delivery — your old passport is in the envelope. Expedited service requires writing 'EXPEDITE' on the envelope and including the $60 fee.

   Open official page Source: travel.state.gov
5. 5

   Track and receive[7]

   Old passport returns in a separate envelope from your new one — sometimes weeks apart. Status updates 2 weeks after submission.

   Track status → Source: travel.state.gov

Common reasons this gets rejected

• Not actually eligible for DS-82

  If your passport is damaged, lost, or was issued more than 15 years ago, DS-82 doesn't apply — you must do DS-11 in person.

• Reused old passport photo

  Your photo must be NEW (within 6 months). Reusing the photo from your last passport gets the application rejected.

• Wrong fee amount

  Renewal fees are different from new-passport fees (no $35 acceptance fee). Pay the exact book/card amount — overpayment delays processing.

• Sent name-change docs without DS-5504

  If your passport is less than 1 year old and you only need a name change, use DS-5504 — it's free. Using DS-82 here means paying $130 unnecessarily.

• Forgot to include old passport

  DS-82 renewals REQUIRE your old passport in the envelope. Don't keep it 'just in case' — it'll be hole-punched and returned to you.

Talk to a human

Sources

1. [1]Renew Your Passport — travel.state.gov
2. [2]Renew Online
3. [3]Form DS-82 (PDF)
4. [4]Form DS-5504 — Free corrections within 1 year
5. [5]Passport fees
6. [6]https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html
7. [7]https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/status.html