How to Renew Your Passport and Change Your Last Name

To renew your passport and change your last name, you file a single application with the U.S. State Department that both renews the book and updates the name. Which form you use, and whether you pay anything, depends on one detail: how recently your current passport was issued and how recently your name legally changed. If both happened within the past year, you use Form DS-5504 and pay nothing. Otherwise, you use the standard renewal form DS-82 (or DS-11 in person) and pay the regular renewal fee. In every case you’ll send in your current passport, a certified name-change document, and a new photo.

Which Form You Need

The State Department splits passport name changes into two tracks based on timing, and picking the wrong one will get your application returned. The dividing line is whether it has been less than one year since both your passport was issued and your name was legally changed.

Name Changed Within a Year of Your Passport

If your passport and your legal name change are both less than a year old, use Form DS-5504 and mail it in. There is no application fee. You can pay $60 for expedited processing if you need it faster.¹

Both conditions have to be met. If your passport was issued 11 months ago but the name change happened 14 months ago, DS-5504 is off the table and you go through renewal instead.

Name Changed More Than a Year Ago

When more than a year has passed since either the passport was issued or the name change occurred, you go through the standard renewal process. Most people can renew by mail using Form DS-82 as long as all four of these are true:

You have your current passport and it isn’t significantly damaged.
You were at least 16 when it was issued.
It was issued within the last 15 years.
You can send it in with your application.

If any of those aren’t met, or if the passport was lost, stolen, or badly damaged, you have to apply in person at a passport acceptance facility using Form DS-11.² Acceptance facilities include post offices, public libraries, and clerks of court. Search by zip code on the State Department’s locator at iafdb.travel.state.gov.³

Name Change Documents the State Department Accepts

Federal regulation lists the acceptable evidence. For a last-name change, the usual documents are a marriage certificate, a divorce decree that specifically restores a former name, or a court order authorizing the change.⁴ A naturalization certificate issued in a new name also qualifies, as does any government-issued document reflecting a name change that occurred by operation of state law.

Whatever you send has to be an original or a certified copy from the issuing government authority. Photocopies and notarized copies that weren’t certified by the original record custodian will be rejected. The State Department does return original documents after processing, in a separate mailing from the new passport.

If your name change document is in a language other than English, include a complete English translation. The translator must certify in writing that the translation is accurate and that they are competent to translate the language, and the certification should include the translator’s name, signature, address, and the date.⁵

Photo Requirements

You need one color passport photo that meets federal standards. It has to be 2 by 2 inches, taken against a plain white or off-white background, and no more than six months old. Your full face must be visible and centered, with a neutral expression, both eyes open, and mouth closed.⁶

Glasses are not allowed. If you can’t remove them for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor. Shadows, filters, and head coverings not worn daily for religious reasons will get the photo rejected. Photos are one of the most common reasons applications come back, so it’s worth getting right the first time.

How to Enter Your Names on the Form

Use black ink and print clearly. Federal scanners need high contrast.⁷

Enter your new legal name in the main identity fields at the top of the form. In the “List all other names you have used” section, enter the name that appears on your current passport. If only your last name changed, you can enter just the last name. If you’ve had multiple prior names, a maiden name plus a previous married name for instance, list them all. The form has space for two prior names; attach a separate sheet if you need more.⁷

If you’re applying in person with DS-11, the logic is the same: new name in the primary fields, old name in the prior-names section. DS-11 also has a marriage details section on page 2 to complete if your name change came from marriage.

Fees

What you’ll pay depends on the track:

DS-5504, when both passport and name change are under a year old: no application fee, $60 optional expedite.
DS-82 by mail, passport book: $130, plus $60 for expedited processing.
DS-82 by mail, passport card only: $30, plus $60 for expedited processing.
DS-11 in person, passport book: $130 application fee plus a $35 execution fee collected by the acceptance facility.

The $130 renewal fee and $60 expedite fee are on the State Department’s current fee schedule.⁸ The $35 execution fee only applies to in-person applications and is paid separately to the acceptance facility, which may take different payment methods than the State Department itself.

For mail-in applications, pay by personal check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State.” Write the applicant’s full name and date of birth on the front. Do not send cash.⁹

Mailing the Application

Use the U.S. Postal Service. UPS, FedEx, DHL, and other carriers cannot deliver to the P.O. Box addresses printed on the forms.¹ Use USPS with tracking so you can confirm delivery, since you’re mailing original identity documents.

The complete package:

The signed form (DS-5504 or DS-82)
Your current U.S. passport
Your original or certified name change document
One color passport photo
A check or money order for the applicable fees (DS-5504 applicants skip this unless paying to expedite)

Processing Times

As of 2026, routine processing takes four to six weeks and expedited processing takes two to three weeks.¹⁰ Those windows are measured from when the State Department receives your application, not when you mail it. During peak travel season, roughly January through summer, times run to the longer end.

You can check status online at the State Department’s website about two to three weeks after submitting. The new passport and your original name change documents come back in separate mailings. The old passport is returned with a hole punched through it to indicate cancellation.

Passport Book vs. Passport Card

The $130 renewal fee covers a passport book, which works for all international travel including flights. A passport card costs $30 to renew but is valid only for returning to the U.S. by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.¹¹ It cannot be used for international air travel. You can renew both at once by checking the appropriate box on DS-82 and paying both fees.

Update Your Social Security Record First

Changing your name on your passport doesn’t update anything else. If you file taxes with a name that doesn’t match the Social Security Administration’s record, your return can be delayed or rejected. Handle SSA early, ideally before or alongside your passport application.

To update your name with the SSA, complete Form SS-5 and bring it to a local Social Security office with original documents proving your identity and the name change. SSA accepts marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and court orders, and they must be originals or certified copies. Replacing your card for a legal name change is free and does not count toward the lifetime replacement limit.¹²

Sequence matters, because both agencies want originals and won’t take photocopies. You can’t have your marriage certificate at two agencies at the same time. A workable order: go to the SSA office in person first, since they typically return documents on the spot, then mail your passport application with those same originals.

1
U.S. Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
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USAGov. Renew an Adult Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Passport Acceptance Facility Search
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eCFR. 22 CFR 51.25 – Name of Applicant To Be Used in Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Information about Translating Foreign Documents
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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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. United States Passport Fees
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
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U.S. Department of State. Get Your Processing Time
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U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
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Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card – Form SS-5