{"id":16234,"date":"2024-01-09T14:14:50","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T19:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thepassportoffice.com\/blog\/?p=16234"},"modified":"2026-09-17T16:55:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T21:55:33","slug":"how-to-renew-a-passport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepassportoffice.com\/blog\/how-to-renew-a-passport\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Renew a Passport (2026): DS-82 Step by Step"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eligibility and processing figures verified against travel.state.gov on September 17, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most adults renew a U.S. passport by mail using Form DS-82, no appointment and no trip to the post office required. You qualify if your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, within the last 15 years, is undamaged, and is still in your name. If any of those isn’t true, you’ll apply in person instead with Form DS-11, the same form a first-time applicant uses. See our first-time application guide<\/a> if that’s you. This guide covers passport renewal by mail, online, in person, and through an expedited courier, so you can find the route that fits your situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Routine renewal takes about 4 to 6 weeks. Expedited service cuts that to 2 to 3 weeks for a $60 government fee, on top of the regular application fee. Jump to the eligibility checklist<\/a>, the step-by-step<\/a>, or renewing online<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you qualify to renew by mail (DS-82)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can use Form DS-82 instead of applying in person if all of the following are true:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Your most recent U.S. passport book or card was issued when you were 16 or older<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. It was issued within the last 15 years<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. It’s undamaged<\/strong> and you have it in hand to mail in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Your name (and sex) on the application matches<\/strong> that passport, or you’re including legal proof of a name change.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If even one of these doesn’t hold, mail-in renewal isn’t an option. You’ll fill out Form DS-11<\/strong> and apply in person at an acceptance facility instead, which is also the form for a first-time applicant. If your passport was issued more than 15 years ago, that’s the whole reason, and it’s common enough that we’ve written it up separately: see how to renew a passport after 15 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A common point of confusion: “new passport or renewal” isn’t really a choice you make. It’s decided by whether you clear this checklist. If you do, DS-82 is faster and cheaper. If you don’t, DS-11 is the only path, regardless of which one you’d prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Would rather skip the paperwork?<\/strong> We’re a registered courier service. Tell us your situation and we’ll confirm which form applies to you, prepare your application, and hand-carry it to a passport agency if your timeline is tight. See how we help.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Step-by-step: filling out Form DS-82<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Get the form.<\/strong> Download Form DS-82<\/a> from the State Department, or pick up a paper copy at a passport acceptance facility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Fill it out completely.<\/strong> Every required field, printed clearly. Your name, date of birth, and Social Security number all need to match your records exactly. An unsigned or incomplete form gets sent back, which costs you weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Attach two passport photos.<\/strong> 2×2 inches, white background, taken within the last 6 months. See our passport photo guide<\/a> for the full spec.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Include your most recent passport.<\/strong> The physical book or card, not a photocopy. You won’t get it back until your new one is issued.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Add proof of a name change<\/strong>, if applicable: a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. Pay the application fee.<\/strong> See what renewal costs<\/a> for the current amounts and how to pay. Renewal by mail has no separate acceptance fee, the one cost that first-time applicants pay and renewing applicants don’t.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. Mail everything together<\/strong> to the address printed on the form: application, photos, old passport, name-change proof if needed, and payment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Double-check the form before you seal the envelope. Missing signatures, mismatched names, and wrong payment amounts are the most common reasons a renewal gets held up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Don’t want a small mistake to cost you weeks?<\/strong> We review every DS-82 application for exactly the errors above before we hand-carry it to a passport agency. See how we help.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Renew online, by mail, in person, or with a courier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Passport renewal has four routes, and they’re not interchangeable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Online<\/strong>, through the U.S. Department of State’s own portal at opr.travel.state.gov<\/a>. This isn’t a pilot or a beta anymore. It’s been open to the public since September 2024 and processes renewals at scale. But its eligibility gate is narrower than plain DS-82 eligibility above: you also need to be 25 or older<\/strong>, your previous passport must have been valid for 10 years and either expiring within the next year or expired less than 5 years ago, you can’t be changing your name or sex, you can’t be traveling internationally within 6 weeks, and you need to be physically located in a U.S. state or territory when you apply. If you clear the DS-82 checklist above but not this narrower one, mail-in is still your path, not online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      By mail<\/strong>, the standard DS-82 route covered in the step-by-step above. No appointment, no acceptance fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In person<\/strong>, required whenever you don’t meet DS-82 eligibility (for example, your passport is more than 15 years old, or it’s damaged). This uses Form DS-11 at an acceptance facility. Find one with the State Department’s acceptance facility search<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      With a courier service.<\/strong> A registered courier like The Passport Office hand-carries your completed application to a passport agency, which can turn an urgent renewal around in days instead of weeks. Because that route goes through a passport agency, the government fees you pay always include the $60 to expedite, on top of the application fee. Our service fee is separate and on top of that, based on how quickly you need your passport. See current renewal pricing and turnaround.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      One clarification worth making up front: a U.S. Post Office is an acceptance facility for in-person DS-11 applications. It’s not a channel for mailing a DS-82 renewal, that goes straight to the State Department’s own address on the form, not to your local post office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      When should you renew (and how early can you)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      There’s no penalty for renewing early. If your current passport still has time on it, you can renew as soon as you’d like, you don’t have to wait for it to get close to expiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The reason most people renew early is a destination’s entry rule, not their own passport’s expiration date. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least 6 months past your entry date, so a passport that’s technically still valid can still get you turned away at the border. If you’re planning international travel, check your destination’s specific requirement before you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      A few common timing questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n