The DS-82 passport renewal form lets U.S. citizens who already hold a recent passport renew by mail without visiting a passport acceptance facility. You fill it out in black ink, gather your old passport, one photo, any name-change documents, and payment, then mail the package to the Department of State processing center that serves your state.
Who Can Use DS-82
Mail-in renewal is only available if every one of these is true about your most recent passport:
- You still have it in your physical possession, and it hasn’t been reported lost or stolen or significantly damaged. Damage means stains, mold, tears, unofficial markings on the data page, missing or torn-out visa pages, or a hole punch.
- It was issued when you were 16 or older. Child passports carry a five-year validity and can’t be renewed by mail.
- It was issued within the last 15 years.
- It was issued for the full 10-year validity period. Passports with shortened validity due to damage, multiple losses, or noncompliance with federal regulations don’t qualify. Check the last page of the book for any endorsement noting a restriction.
A name change since the last passport was issued is fine as long as you include a certified copy of the marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order proving the change. Without that documentation, you’ll need to apply in person on Form DS-11. Failing any one of the eligibility conditions above sends you to DS-11 as well.
What Goes in the Envelope
A complete mail-in renewal has four components. Missing any one of them will delay processing.
Your Most Recent Passport
Send the physical book or card you’re renewing. The Department cancels it during processing and mails it back separately, typically within two weeks after your new passport ships. If you hold both a book and a card and want to renew both, include both.
One Passport Photo
Include a single color photo taken within the last six months, printed at exactly 2 × 2 inches on a plain white or off-white background. Neutral facial expression, both eyes open, mouth closed. Eyeglasses are not allowed unless you provide a signed medical statement from a health professional explaining why they’re medically necessary, for example after recent ocular surgery. Even then, frames can’t cover your eyes and glare isn’t permitted.
Name-Change Documents (If Applicable)
If your current legal name differs from what’s printed in your existing passport, include a certified copy of the document reflecting the change. Originals are returned by mail after processing.
Payment
Pay by personal check or money order made payable to the U.S. Department of State. Write the applicant’s full name and date of birth on the front. No cash.
- Passport book: $130
- Passport card: $30
- Both book and card: $160
- Expedited processing (optional): add $60
- 1–3 day return delivery (optional): add $22.05
The 1–3 day return delivery option isn’t available for card-only applications; cards ship via USPS First Class Mail either way. Don’t include a prepaid return envelope. The Department handles return shipping itself.
Filling Out the Form
Download DS-82 from the Bureau of Consular Affairs website or pick one up at a post office. Print single-sided and fill it out in black ink. Corrections and white-out are not accepted, so if you make a mistake, start over on a fresh form.
You’ll enter your full legal name, date and place of birth, sex, Social Security number, email address, phone number, current mailing address, and any other names you’ve used. There’s no field for your old passport number or issue date. The Department pulls that from the physical passport in your package.
Social Security Number
Federal law requires your Social Security number on every passport application. If you’ve been issued one and leave it off, the Department can refuse to issue the passport and the IRS can assess a $500 penalty under 26 U.S.C. § 6039E. If you’ve never been issued a Social Security number, enter zeros in that field.
Sex Marker
The form offers M and F. As of March 2026, the Department no longer issues passports with an X marker, and passports are issued with the marker matching biological sex at birth. Requesting a marker that doesn’t match birth records will delay processing, and the passport will reflect birth sex based on the Department’s records.
Email Address
Optional. Providing it authorizes the Department to send status updates and travel-related information. Skip it and you’ll check status manually online.
Signature
Your signature at the bottom is a legal declaration that everything on the form is true and correct. Sign in black ink, inside the designated box.
Where to Mail It
All mail-in renewals go through USPS. The processing centers use P.O. Box addresses, and commercial carriers like FedEx and UPS cannot deliver there.
Routine service, if you live in California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, or Texas:
National Passport Processing Center
Post Office Box 640155
Irving, TX 75064-0155
Routine service, all other states:
National Passport Processing Center
Post Office Box 90155
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155
Expedited service, all states (write “EXPEDITE” on the outside of the envelope):
National Passport Processing Center
Post Office Box 90955
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955
Use a USPS service with tracking, such as Priority Mail or Certified Mail, so you can confirm the package reached the center. Postal employees should not charge you a fee or review your documents before mailing. If one tries to, you’re not at a passport acceptance facility and don’t need that service for a renewal.
After You Mail It
Roughly two weeks after mailing, your status should appear as “In Process” on the Department’s tracking tool at passportstatus.state.gov. The system won’t show anything before then, and that lag isn’t a sign something went wrong.
Routine processing runs four to six weeks. Expedited processing runs two to three weeks. Neither figure includes mailing time in either direction, which can add up to two weeks. From the day you drop the envelope at the post office to the day the new passport arrives, expect roughly six to eight weeks for routine service and four to five weeks for expedited. Summer and early spring are the heaviest filing periods, and windows lengthen with demand.
Your canceled old passport arrives in a separate mailing, usually within two weeks after the new one. The separation is deliberate, so don’t worry if the envelopes show up days apart.
When DS-82 Isn’t the Right Form
Mail-in renewal doesn’t work for fast turnarounds. Even expedited mail service takes several weeks. If you have international travel within 14 calendar days, or need a foreign visa within 28 days, you can make an appointment at a regional passport agency for in-person urgent service and bring printed proof of travel. A narrower emergency category exists for the death, dying, or life-threatening illness or injury of an immediate family member abroad, meaning a parent, child, spouse, sibling, or grandparent, when you need to travel within two weeks.
Online renewal is a separate alternative with a narrower eligibility window: passport expiring within one year or expired less than five years ago, applicant 25 or older, no name or sex marker change, located in a U.S. state or territory, no international travel planned within six weeks, and routine processing only. Fees match the mail-in amounts.
If you don’t qualify for DS-82 because your passport was issued before age 16, is more than 15 years old, was issued with limited validity, or is lost, stolen, or significantly damaged, you’ll need to apply in person on Form DS-11 at a passport acceptance facility or agency.