How to Renew a Passport: Fees, Timings and the Online Catch

Working out how to renew a passport takes about ten minutes. Working out whether you are allowed to renew, rather than start again from scratch, is the part that decides how much it costs and how long it takes. Five conditions govern renewal by mail, and a tighter set governs renewing online.

The fees, timings and rules below are the State Department’s current published figures. Pay particular attention to the timing section, because the advertised processing window leaves out about four weeks of postage at either end.

How to Renew a Passport by Mail

Renewal by mail uses Form DS-82 and skips the $35 acceptance fee that first-time applicants pay in person. The State Department requires that your current passport meets all five of these tests.

1. You have it and can send it with the application.
2. It is undamaged, beyond ordinary wear.
3. It was issued within the last 15 years.
4. It was issued when you were 16 or older and was valid for 10 years.
5. It is in your current name, or you can supply a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order proving the change.

Fail any one of those and you apply in person as though it were your first passport, with the $35 facility fee back on the bill. A lost or stolen passport can never be renewed, and children under 16 cannot renew at all because their passports last five years and require a fresh application.

What It Costs

Published fees are the same whether you renew by mail or online, and cheaper than a first application because no acceptance fee applies.

• Passport book: $130.
• Passport card: $30.
• Book and card together: $160.
• Expedited service: $60 on top, per application.
• 1 to 3 day return delivery: $23.36.

For comparison, a first adult application is $130 plus a $35 acceptance fee, and a child under 16 is $100 plus $35 for a passport valid five years. Correcting a data error on a recently issued passport on Form DS-5504 costs nothing, and a file search, needed if you cannot produce evidence of citizenship, is $150.

Renewing Online: Faster to File, Riskier to Time

Online renewal at opr.travel.state.gov is open to adults who want routine service and meet a narrower set of conditions than the by-mail route.

• You are 25 or older.
• The passport was a 10 year book, expiring within a year or expired less than five years ago.
• You are not travelling for at least six weeks, since online renewals cannot be expedited.
• You upload a digital photo and submit the application yourself.
• Nobody else can file it for you, and no third-party service is authorised to.

The trap is in the last step. Your existing passport is cancelled as soon as you submit, so it cannot be used for international travel while the new one is produced, and there is no expedite option to rescue a trip that appears in the meantime. Renewing by mail keeps both of those doors open, which is worth more than the convenience if your plans are at all fluid.

Only the .gov site is official. The State Department warns that companies claiming to renew passports online may be fraudulent, that they charge extra fees and put personal data at risk, and that a company having “Gov” in its name means nothing at all.

How Long a Renewal Actually Takes

Published processing times measure agency work only. The State Department states that mailing time is not part of them, which is where the surprise comes from.

• Routine processing: 4 to 6 weeks.
• Expedited processing: 2 to 3 weeks, for the extra $60.
• Up to 2 weeks for your application to reach them.
• Up to 2 weeks for the new passport to reach you, unless you pay $23.36 for faster return.
• Urgent travel needs an appointment at a passport agency and proof of international travel within 14 calendar days.

Realistically that means eight to ten weeks door to door on routine service, and three to four weeks if you pay for both expediting and fast return delivery. If you paid the $60 and the application was not processed within the stated timeframe, you can request a refund of that fee. The application and execution fees are non-refundable by law, even if no passport is issued.

Those figures also move with demand, so check them before relying on a number you read months ago. The State Department updates its published processing times as volumes change, and the window is widest in spring when applications peak.

Applying at the right time of year is free and effective. The State Department names late winter through summer as its busiest period and suggests October to December as the quiet window.

Mailing Your Only Passport Away

A renewal by mail means posting the one document that proves your citizenship, which is the step people put off for months. A few habits make it a non-event.

• Photograph the details page before it goes, and keep a photocopy at home.
• Use a trackable service so you know when it arrives rather than guessing.
• Expect two separate deliveries. The old passport follows the new one by up to two weeks.
• Do not book international travel for the window while it is away.
• Write your name and date of birth on the front of the check or money order.

If the application is missing something, you get a letter or email explaining what, and you must respond within 90 days of the date on it. Ignoring it does not pause the clock, and because the application and execution fees are non-refundable by law, a lapsed response can mean paying twice for the same passport.

The $30 Card Most People Skip

• Valid for domestic flights and accepted at any TSA checkpoint.
• Valid for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
• Not valid for international air travel, which is its one real limit.
• Renewed on the same DS-82 form, and it fits in a wallet.

The card is also the cheapest way to hold a backup. If your book is away being renewed, a card issued earlier keeps you flying domestically in the meantime, and it is the document worth carrying day to day rather than a passport book you would rather not lose. Ordering both at once costs $160 instead of $130, which is $30 for a spare piece of federal identification.

For anyone whose driver’s licence is not compliant, a $30 card is a cheaper and often faster answer than a licensing appointment. It is worth reading alongside the ID rules for flying before deciding which document to chase.

What to Send and What Comes Back

• Form DS-82, signed and dated before you mail it.
• Your most recent passport, returned separately up to two weeks after the new one.
• Any name change document, also returned in its own mailing.
• A current photo meeting the published requirements.
• A check or money order to the U.S. Department of State, with your name and date of birth on the front.

Tick the large book box at the top of DS-82 if you travel often, because the version with extra visa pages costs nothing more. DS-82 is also the form to use if you hold only a card and want a book, or the other way round. Once it arrives, the remaining airport variables are small, and our guides to carry on bag size and CLEAR versus TSA PreCheck cover the two that cost most people time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How early should I renew?

About nine months before expiry is a comfortable margin, because a number of countries require six months of validity beyond your travel dates and routine renewal takes eight to ten weeks door to door. Applying between October and December avoids the busiest months.

How long does it take to renew a passport?

Four to six weeks of processing on routine service, or two to three weeks expedited for $60. Add up to two weeks of postage each way, so plan for eight to ten weeks in total unless you pay for faster return delivery.

Can I renew a passport that expired ten years ago?

No. Renewal requires a passport issued within the last 15 years that expired less than five years ago for online renewal. Beyond those windows you apply in person as a first-time applicant, with the $35 acceptance fee.

Do I need to send my old passport back?

Yes. Your most recent passport goes with the application, and it is returned to you in a separate mailing up to two weeks after the new one arrives. It is cancelled, so it cannot be used for travel afterwards.

Is it cheaper to renew or apply for a new passport?

Renewing, by $35. A renewal is $130 for the book with no acceptance fee, while a first-time or in-person application is $130 plus the $35 fee charged by the facility where you submit it.

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