Passport Renewal vs. New Application: Which Do You Need?

What do I need to renew a U.S. passport, and what are the steps?

To renew a U.S. passport with Form DS-82, you need your most recent passport, a signed DS-82, one passport photo, and a check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. If your name has changed, you also need a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.

What you need

1. Signed Form DS-82The U.S. Department of State's renewal application. Your signature on it confirms the application.
   How to get it: Complete the form and sign it at home in black ink. With PassportsAndVisas.com, we prepare the form for you in your portal, and you print and sign it.
   Watch out: An unsigned DS-82 is one of the most common reasons a renewal comes back.
   Who needs it: Every DS-82 renewal
2. Your most recent passportThis proves you are eligible to renew. It has to be undamaged beyond normal wear and must not have been reported lost or stolen.
   How to get it: Send it with your application. It is canceled and returned to you.
   Watch out: People often leave the old passport out of the packet. Our pre-check catches this on 13% of applications.
   Who needs it: Every DS-82 renewal
3. One passport photoA recent photo that meets the government's photo rules. It is printed in your new passport.
   How to get it: Have one taken, or upload a clear selfie to PassportsAndVisas.com and we turn it into a compliant passport photo.
   Watch out: Shadows, glasses, hats and the wrong background are the most frequent problems.
   Who needs it: Every renewal
4. Application fee paymentThe application fee is $130 for a passport book, $30 for a card, or $160 for both.
   How to get it: Pay by check or money order made out to the U.S. Department of State.
   Watch out: A check with the wrong payee or missing details holds up the renewal.
   Who needs it: Every DS-82 renewal
5. Name-change documentLinks the name on your old passport to your current name.
   How to get it: Use a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.
   Watch out: The document has to show both the old name and the new one.
   Who needs it: Only if your name has changed since your last passport was issued

What to do, step by step

1. 1. Check that you can renewYour passport must have been issued in the last 15 years, when you were 16 or older. It must be undamaged and in your current name, or you need the name-change document.
2. 2. Complete and sign Form DS-82Fill in the form and sign it in black ink. Or let us handle it: PassportsAndVisas.com prepares your DS-82 in your portal, and you just sign it at home.
3. 3. Get one passport photoUse a recent photo that meets the rules. Or upload a selfie, and we format it into a compliant photo.
4. 4. Prepare the paymentWrite a check or money order for $130 (book) to the U.S. Department of State. To expedite, add $60.
5. 5. Send the packet with your old passportSend everything through USPS. Or let us handle it: send it to PassportsAndVisas.com with our prepaid FedEx label, and we check every document before we submit it.
6. 6. Receive your new passportYour new passport arrives first. On the DS-82 route, your canceled old passport comes back separately, up to two weeks later.

Can I renew my passport, or do I need a new one?

You can renew a U.S. passport with Form DS-82 when it was issued in the last 15 years, when you were 16 or older, has no damage beyond normal wear, has not been reported lost or stolen, and is in your current name or you have the legal name-change document.

Can you renew an expired passport?

Yes, an expired U.S. passport can still be renewed with Form DS-82 if it was issued in the last 15 years, when you were 16 or older. Online renewal covers a 10-year passport that expired less than five years ago. Our guide on renewing an expired passport online has the details.

U.S. passports are only for U.S. citizens. If you travel on another country's passport and need a visa for your trip, our visa checker shows what your passport needs.

Can I renew a U.S. passport online?

Online U.S. passport renewal is open to adults 25 or older whose 10-year passport expires within a year or expired less than five years ago. You must also be in a U.S. state or territory and not traveling for at least six weeks.

• You are 25 or older.
• Your passport is a 10-year passport that expires within a year or expired less than five years ago.
• You are not changing your name or sex.
• You are in a U.S. state or territory.
• You have the passport in hand, and it is undamaged.
• You are not traveling for at least six weeks.

An online renewal cannot be expedited. You complete the online application yourself, because no third-party service can submit it for you. You keep your old passport instead of sending it in, and it is canceled.

If your trip is less than six weeks away, you need faster service, or you would rather not do it yourself, PassportsAndVisas.com handles your renewal through Form DS-82. We check every document first and offer speeds as fast as 3-4 business days.

How do I fill out and sign Form DS-82?

Form DS-82 is the U.S. Department of State's renewal application. You complete it in your legal name, exactly as you want it to appear on the new passport, and sign it at home in black ink. You do not sign it in front of an acceptance agent.

With PassportsAndVisas.com, we prepare your DS-82 in your personal portal. You print it, sign it at home, and send it with your documents. A renewal through us needs no acceptance agent visit.

What passport photo do I need for a renewal?

A U.S. passport renewal needs one recent passport photo with a white or off-white background, no glasses and no hat, with your face clearly visible and correctly positioned.

Photos cause more problems than anything else we pre-check. If you would rather skip the photo shop, upload a clear selfie to PassportsAndVisas.com and we turn it into a compliant passport photo. Each rule is covered in our guide to passport photo requirements.

How much does it cost to renew a U.S. passport?

A U.S. passport book renewal costs $130 in government application fees. A passport card renewal costs $30, and the book and card together cost $160. Expedited service adds $60, and 1 to 3-day return delivery adds $26.87.

Government fees go to the U.S. Department of State by check or money order. Our service fee is paid separately to PassportsAndVisas.com. The full breakdown is in how much it costs to renew a U.S. passport.

How long does a passport renewal take?

A routine U.S. passport renewal takes 4–6 weeks of government processing, or up to 10 weeks once shipping both ways is included. Government expedited service takes 2–3 weeks, or up to 7 weeks door to door. PassportsAndVisas.com offers speeds as fast as 3-4 business days.

Government timeframes vary, so someone on a tight schedule cannot count on them. That is where PassportsAndVisas.com helps: you pick the speed that fits your travel date, and we track your renewal through each stage. These times are estimates, not promised dates.

How do I update my passport after a name change?

To update a U.S. passport after a name change within one year of issue, you use Form DS-5504, which has no application fee. After the first year, the name change is processed as a renewal with Form DS-82, and the application fee is $130.

PassportsAndVisas.com handles name changes without an acceptance agent visit. We check that your name-change document matches the name on your application before anything is submitted.

What mistakes delay a passport renewal?

The mistakes that most often delay a U.S. passport renewal are an unusable photo, a check with errors, an unsigned DS-82, a missing old passport, and a missing name-change document. Each one can send the renewal back to you.

What if I can't renew my passport?

A U.S. passport that cannot be renewed needs a new passport application made in person. This applies if the passport was lost, stolen or damaged, if it was issued before you turned 16 or more than 15 years ago, or if it belongs to a child under 16.

For these applications, you visit an acceptance agent, usually a local post office, to sign the form in front of them. With PassportsAndVisas.com, you arrive with a complete packet that we have already checked, and the visit is quick.

Why use PassportsAndVisas.com for your passport renewal?

PassportsAndVisas.com renews U.S. passports without an acceptance agent visit. We prepare your DS-82, check every document, submit your application, and offer four speeds, the fastest being 3-4 business days.

• We prepare your DS-82 in your portal, and you sign it at home.
• We turn your selfie into a compliant passport photo.
• Our team reviews every document before submission, including the photo, the check details, signatures and name consistency.
• A prepaid FedEx label gets your packet to us, and we submit your application.
• You get text and email updates at each stage, from documents received to passport delivered.
• If we miss the timeline you chose for a reason within our control, we refund our service fee.

We have been a registered passport expediter since 1992 and have served 500K+ travelers, with 11,766 customer reviews. We are a private company, not the U.S. government.