How to Renew Your Passport Now in the United States?

Hey! Are you Excited to travel internationally? We too, but before that, you must need to have a travel document with at least six months of validity for most countries from the U.S? If your Passport has expired or it doesn’t have a minimum month of validity, then you need to apply for Passport Renewal with the U.S. Department of state. That’s it. Simple!

Well,there is a catch! You need to look carefully!  Do you know? The most important reasons for your Passport’s rejection in the U.S are simple spelling mistakes, Typo errors, incorrect passport fee, method of payment, unclear passport photos. The State Department only accepts the application with all correct and legitimate information.

To overcome these kinds of errors and to get a Passport for your planned travel can be fulfilled by following the simple steps. Let’s start!

What is the best way to renew an expired Passport in the United States?

You could renew your old or expired U.S Passport by mail, no need to visit the local Passport Acceptance Center if your Passport expired less than five years ago and you currently reside in the United States America or Canada and your Passport or Travel document,

1. Undamaged other than normal wear and tear
2. No one stole it 
3. Issued when you were at least 16 or older (Adult)
4. The final one is, your current name has not changed (if any name changes provide supporting documents like Marriage Certificate, Divorce Decree, or Court Order) 

Then you can apply for the Passport renewal on the U.S Department of State website and complete Form DS-82 online.

Note: If you need a Travel document urgently or in an emergency to travel internationally, then you can contact the appointment booking team through chat or call National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 to renew your Passport in Person.

For renewing the U.S Passport for child and minor applicants, kindly visit Renewal for Minors.

Note: The U.S. State Department issues guidelines that you can renew your Passport up to 15 years from the date of the issue by them; more than that, you cannot renew by mail;you need to apply for a new Passport in the U.S through the local acceptance center.

Documents needed for the U.S. Passport Renewal

Renewing a Passport through the mail only needs a minimum set of documents. You can find the below list of documents needed,

Completed DS-82 Passport Application Form

You need to fill the Passport application DS 82 form either online or PDF, based on your wise, but while filling the form, pay attention to details asked in application.

If you are staying outside of the U.S and Canada and want to renew your Passport, you will need to visit the local U.S Consulate or Embassy in the resident city.

Children and minors under 16 cannot use the DS-82 form for renewal; they will need to use the DS-11 form as new Passport application submission.

Take Passport Photos

After completing the DS-82 Passport Application form, take a print of passport application 8.5″ x 11″ standard paper (Black and white-side-sided) and put your sign in the application form as specified in the application.

Arrange for one photograph on matte or glossy photo quality paper as 2″ X 2″ size. You can get photo service online or from the passport booth app to take your photo and print them from a local store.

After taking print out, staple the photo to the application. Please use four staples vertically in the corners as close to the outer edges as possible in a specified area in the passport application form.

Passport Renewal Fees and Payment

You must send your payment with your application; it could be either money order or personal, certified cashier’s, traveler’s check payable to the “U.S Department of state.” The Passport Renewal fee will be the type of U.S Passport you are applying for,

Passport Book – $110

Passport Card – $30

Both Book and Card – $140

You can pay based on the type of Passport selected. If you need only a passport card, you need to pay only $30 and complete the DS-82 form.

Note:  Send correct Passport fee for selected type; otherwise, your application may be rejected.

Mail Your Expired the U.S Passport and Supporting Documents

The essential and final steps are arranging the documents in the following order in mail-in cover before mailing them to the Passport processing center.

DS-82 Passport Application Form,

Expired old U.S Passport and, 

Payment (personal, certified, cashier’s, or traveler’s check or money order)

There are two Passport processing centers in the U.S., one in Texas and the other in Philadelphia, for routine processing; if you reside in California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, or Texas) please send your application to a National Passport Processing Center PO Box 640155 Irving, TX 75064-0155.

For other states and Canada, send it to National Passport Processing Center PO Box 90155 Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155.

If you opt for an expedited process, send it to National Passport Processing Center PO Box 90955 Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955.

How long it takes to process the renewal of an expired Passport? 

Passport renewal via mail will take up to 8 to 12 weeks for your passport application to reach the Passport processing center. Expedited passport renewal by mail costs an additional fee of $60 in government fees and takes 5-6 weeks to process. To get a Passport fast, you can visit a Passport Agency in person with an appointment or use the services of Passport expediting Agencies.

Track the Status of the U.S Passport Application

You can track the U.S Passport application status after six weeks from the mail sent to the Passport processing center. To track the status, you can,

• Go to the official U.S department Online Passport Status System portal.
• Mention the required details in the form and click enter.
• You will find the status of your passport renewal application.

Check the Passport Status by phone:

Dial the National Passport information center and ask your passport application status to the customer service representatives over there.

Dial: 1-877-487-2778 or 1-888-874-7793 (TDD/TTY)

Calling hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm E.T.

You will not be able to reach the center during federal holidays.

Receive New Passport and Passport Card

U.S Passport book only– you will receive two separate mailings from the United States-State Department, one containing Passport and another one for supporting documents (if you send any or old Passport)  

U.S Passport book and card – you will receive three separate mailings from the U.S State Department, one containing a Passport, another for a passport card, and the remaining one for supporting documents (if you send any or old Passport or card)  

Note: If you have a valid visa in your old or expired Passport, you can use that for international travel even if you have a new Passport in the United States without any hassle.