How to Correct or Fix an Error on Your Passport

If your U.S. passport was printed with a mistake, mail Form DS-5504 to the National Passport Processing Center along with your passport, a new photo, and a document proving the correct information. As long as the passport is still valid, the correction is free. Knowing how to correct an error on your passport comes down to two things: sending the right packet, and doing it soon enough that your replacement keeps its full ten-year life.¹

What Counts as a Printing or Data Error

A printing error is a production problem with the book itself: missing information on the biographical page, discoloration, crooked printing, or a photo that printed poorly. A data error is wrong information: a misspelled name, an incorrect place of birth, a wrong date of birth, or an incorrect sex marker. Both categories are handled the same way, through Form DS-5504, at no charge.¹

What to Send With Form DS-5504

Fill out Form DS-5504 using the Department of State’s online form filler, which produces a barcoded document. Print it single-sided and mail it with the following:

Your current passport book or card, with the error.
One color 2×2 inch passport photo taken within the last six months, on a white or off-white background, no glasses.²
Evidence of the correct information. A certified birth certificate works for name, date of birth, sex, or place of birth issues.

No passport fee applies. Expedited processing is available for an extra $60 if you need it faster.¹

Report the Error Within One Year or Lose Validity

Timing changes the outcome. Report the error within one year of the passport’s issuance date, and your replacement is valid for a full ten years. Report it after one year, and the corrected passport is only valid through the expiration date of the original.¹ Spot a misspelling in year seven, and your corrected book only covers the three years left. Check the biographical page as soon as your passport arrives.

If the “Error” Is Actually a Name Change

Form DS-5504 also covers a legal name change, but only if both the passport was issued and the name was legally changed less than one year ago. In that window, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and court orders all qualify as the supporting document, and there is no passport fee.¹³

If more than a year has passed, DS-5504 is off the table. You will need to renew by mail with Form DS-82 or apply in person with Form DS-11, and standard passport fees apply.¹ DS-82 works only if your passport is undamaged, was issued within the last 15 years, was issued when you were 16 or older, and has never been reported lost or stolen.⁴

Where to Mail It

For a DS-5504 correction, the address depends on the service level and where you live:

Routine service from California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, or Texas: National Passport Processing Center, Post Office Box 640155, Irving, TX 75064-0155.
Routine service from all other states and Canada: National Passport Processing Center, Post Office Box 90155, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155.
Expedited service: National Passport Processing Center, Post Office Box 90955, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955. Write “EXPEDITE” on the outside of the envelope.

These are USPS post office boxes. UPS, FedEx, and DHL cannot deliver to them, so ship through USPS and use a trackable service.⁴

How Long It Takes and How to Track It

Routine processing runs 4 to 6 weeks, and expedited processing runs 2 to 3 weeks. Neither figure includes mailing time, which can add up to two weeks round-trip.⁵ If you include an email address on the form, the Department of State sends status updates automatically. You can also check anytime at passportstatus.state.gov.⁶

If You Have Urgent Travel

If you are traveling internationally within 14 calendar days, or need a foreign visa within 28 calendar days, you can request an in-person appointment at a passport agency, which processes applications much faster than the mail-in route. Schedule through the Online Passport Appointment System if you have not yet applied. If you have already mailed the DS-5504 and need to speed it up, call 1-877-487-2778 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern; weekends 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) to request an agency appointment.⁷

A separate track exists for life-or-death emergencies involving an immediate family member abroad who has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness. Immediate family, for this purpose, means a parent, child, spouse, sibling, or grandparent.⁸

1
U.S. Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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U.S. Department of State. DS-5504 – Application for a U.S. Passport for Eligible Individuals
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
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U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. Checking Your Passport Application Status
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U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency or Center
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U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport if You Have a Life-or-Death Emergency