Does the Post Office Renew Passports? Mail and Online Options

No, the post office does not renew passports at the counter. If you qualify for renewal, you either mail Form DS-82 directly to a National Passport Processing Center or renew online through the State Department. The post office’s role in passport work is limited to accepting first-time and other in-person applications on Form DS-11, taking passport photos, and selling money orders. Anyone who walks in expecting a clerk to process a renewal will be sent home to mail the application.

What the Post Office Actually Does

Post offices are one type of passport acceptance facility, alongside libraries, county clerks’ offices, and other local government locations that work on behalf of the State Department.¹ Acceptance facilities handle in-person applications using Form DS-11: first-time applicants, minors, and anyone whose previous passport doesn’t qualify for mail renewal. A postal clerk designated as a passport acceptance agent administers the oath, verifies your identity documents, and forwards the package to the State Department. That service carries a $35 acceptance fee on top of the State Department’s application fee.²

Renewals are different. You fill out Form DS-82 at home, assemble the package yourself, and mail it. No clerk touches it. Post offices still help in two practical ways: passport photos for $15 and postal money orders you can use for your payment.³

Who Qualifies to Renew by Mail

You can renew by mail using Form DS-82 only if all of these apply:

Your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older.
It was issued less than 15 years ago.
You still have it, it’s not significantly damaged, and you haven’t reported it lost or stolen.
It was a 10-year passport issued in your name.

These conditions come from the Code of Federal Regulations, which requires anyone who doesn’t meet them to apply in person on Form DS-11.⁴ The most common disqualifier is a passport issued more than 15 years ago. People often assume that as long as the passport is theirs and hasn’t been lost, they can mail it in, but the 15-year window is a hard cutoff no matter how recently it expired.

Passports issued to children under 16 are five-year documents and never qualify for mail renewal. A parent or guardian has to bring the child to an acceptance facility and apply fresh with Form DS-11.

Renewing Online

The State Department also offers online renewal at mytravel.state.gov. Eligibility is tighter than mail renewal:

You must be 25 or older.
Your passport must be expiring within one year or have expired less than five years ago.
You cannot change your name, sex, or other personal information.
You must not be traveling internationally for at least six weeks from the date you submit.
You can only renew the same type of document you already have (book for book, card for card).

Online renewals cannot be expedited, so routine processing times apply.⁵ If you want to add a card to an existing book or vice versa, online won’t work; renew by mail instead.

What Goes in a Mail Renewal Package

Your package needs four things: a completed DS-82, your most recent passport, a passport photo, and payment.

Form DS-82 asks for your full legal name, Social Security number, and contact information.⁶ If your name has changed since your last passport through marriage, divorce, or court order, include the certified original document proving the change. The State Department returns those originals along with your old cancelled passport.

The photo must be a 2-by-2-inch color image taken within the last six months.⁷ Post offices that offer passport services take compliant photos for $15.³ Drugstores and photo studios do this too, but the post office version is formatted specifically to State Department specifications.

For payment, send a personal check or money order made payable to “U.S. Department of State” with the applicant’s full name and date of birth written on the front.⁸ No cash. If you don’t have a checkbook, buy a postal money order at the same window where you get your photo.

The fees for a mail renewal on Form DS-82 are $130 for a passport book, $30 for a passport card, or $160 for both.² Because the package goes directly to the State Department, there is no $35 acceptance fee. That fee applies only to in-person DS-11 applications processed at a post office or other acceptance facility. Add $60 for expedited processing.

Where to Mail It

The address depends on where you live and whether you’re paying for expedited service. For routine renewals, residents of California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, and Texas mail to the National Passport Processing Center at P.O. Box 640155, Irving, TX 75064-0155. Everyone else mails to the National Passport Processing Center at P.O. Box 90155, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155.⁸

For expedited service, write “EXPEDITE” on the outside of the envelope and send it to P.O. Box 90955, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955, regardless of your home state.⁸

Use a USPS service with tracking, such as Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express.³ You’re mailing your current passport along with everything else, so tracking isn’t really optional. Hand the envelope to a clerk rather than dropping it in a collection box, and use a sturdy envelope that doesn’t force you to fold the application or photo.

How Long It Takes

As of early 2026, State Department processing times are:⁹

Routine service: 4 to 6 weeks, plus up to 2 weeks for mailing in each direction.
Expedited service ($60 extra): 2 to 3 weeks, plus up to 2 weeks for mailing.

Those numbers don’t include transit time. Plan on 6 to 10 weeks for routine and 4 to 7 weeks for expedited. For an additional $22.05, you can add 1-to-3-day delivery for your returning passport book, which trims time off the back end.² You can check status at passportstatus.state.gov once the package has arrived and entered the system.¹⁰

If You Need It in the Next Two Weeks

Neither mail nor online renewal will help if you’re traveling in under two weeks. The post office can’t help either. For that, the State Department runs regional passport agencies that see applicants by appointment. You can book one if you have international travel within 14 calendar days or need a foreign visa within 28 calendar days, and you’ll need proof of your travel plans.¹¹

1
U.S. Department of State. Passport Acceptance Facility Search Page
2
U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees for Acceptance Facilities
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United States Postal Service. Passport Appointments, Renewals, and Photo Services
4
eCFR. 22 CFR 51.21 – Execution of Passport Application
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
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U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Application Status
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U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency or Center