How Can I Expedite My Passport Renewal?

When you apply for a passport renewal, you will often be kept waiting for a period of 6 weeks or more while the Department of State processes your application. If for some reason the State Department is dealing with a backlog of applications when you submit yours, the wait time could be even longer.

US Passport Renewal FAQ

Have a question about the U.S. passport renewal process? You are not the only one. We receive several questions every day about how to get a renewal for both adults and minors. This article will provide answers to some of the more common questions that are asked by U.S. citizens who travel abroad.

Who can renew a passport by mail?

The U.S. government has established specific criteria concerning who can and cannot apply for a renewal by mail. What are the criteria? First of all, you have to be able to submit your most recent passport. This means that it cannot be damaged or mutilated in any way.

Another criterion is that your travel document had to have been issued to you within the last 15 years. This means that you can sometimes get it renewed even after it has expired. Of course, if it was issued when you were a minor then you cannot get it renewed. You will have to apply for a new one by appearing at an application acceptance facility and submitting form DS-11.

You can even apply for a renewal by mail if your name has changed as long as you can submit an original or certified copy of your marriage certificate or the government-issued document that serves as evidence to your legal name change under federal or state law.

When should I apply for a renewal?

It is recommended that applicants send the renewal application approximately nine months before their travel document expires. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, it allows ample time for the application to be processed. Secondly, it allows you to maintain a passport with at least six months validity in it. This is the amount of time many countries require be in your travel document before they will issue a travel visa to you.

Waiting until close to the expiration date or the document actually expires could result in the need to pay extra fees if you need to have it renewed with urgency. It is best to renew it early. You can even apply for a renewal more than nine months before it expires but there is no need.

What do I need to get it renewed?

Besides your most recent, undamaged passport, you need to submit the completed application form DS-82, two identical photos that are 2x2 inches and a certified document that proves your name change if that is the case. You also need to send the payment for the application fee(s).

How long does it take to get a passport renewal?

It depends on how quickly you need to get it. You have two options when renewing by mail. Regular processing of an application takes four to six weeks. Expedited service takes two to three weeks. There is an additional fee if you want to expedite the application. The time required to process application forms can change depending on demand. Peak travel periods and inauguration of new requirements can cause processing times to be extended.

These are just a few of the more frequently asked questions concerning renewals. They should, however, give you a basic understanding of what is required to get your travel document renewed.

What You Need to Know About Passport Renewal Forms

Planning ahead and printing your passport renewal forms from the online website will save you from having to fill out forms by hand. Remember that if you are planning to visit and Application Agency do not sign these forms at home.

Standard Renewal: A renewal of your passport is required every ten years if you received your first passport after you turned 16. Children however must have their passports renewed every five years regardless of what age they were when they received their first passport. If you have changed your name through divorce decree, marriage or legal name change and you report this change within the first year there is no charge for this service. Renewal by mail is available for those who received their first passport after the age of 16 or who are reporting a legal name change.

Name Changes: When renewing your passport because of a name change you will need to include your divorce decree or your marriage certificate. People who have had their name legally changed must include those documents as well.

Visas: When you submit your renewal application you can also request additional visas. Forms are available online for those who wish to make use of this service. Blank visa sheets are sometimes required by foreign countries and you may request them when renewing your passport.

What is Required: Requirements for passport renewal are the same as applying for your first passport. Passport photos need to be taken and included. Two identical two inch by two inch photographs of your face and shoulders, identification documents such as your driver's license, social security card, your certified birth certificate or your military ID if you're a solder will need to be seen or sent with your application form.

Errors: Misspelled names are the most common errors on passports. Sometimes your birth date is wrong or numbers have been transposed. When your passport arrives, check it carefully and report these mistakes to your Application Agency. You will be instructed on how to return the passport to have these errors corrected.

Emergency Situations: Emergencies sometimes happen. If you find that your passport has expired or will expire soon contact the Contact the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (TYY/TDD 1-888-847-2778) and they will help you through the emergency passport process.

Renewal Denied: No one wants to receive a notice telling them that their passport renewal application has been denied. It is easier to prevent this from happening than to correct it once it has. Contact the Application Agency if you have had a recent criminal conviction. If you owe back child support or taxes you should take care of these issues before you apply for a renewal of your passport. Both of these issues will result in your application being denied. It takes months to correct these problems once you have submitted your application.

Stay on top of the details and print you passport renewal forms online.

How to Expedite Your Passport Renewal

There are three ways to expedite a passport renewal. The method you pick out will depend on how speedily you need to acquire your renewed passport and how much time you have to devote to the process. The details below will help guide you in making the decision on how best to expedite your passport renewal.

Apply for Expedited Service by Mail to the National Passport Processing Center

Ddownload and complete the application form DS-82 to renew a passport. Put it in an envelope with your current passport, two photos and payment. The application fee and expediting fee can be made with one payment. Provide proof of your name change if it is different from the name in your present passport. This can be done with a marriage certificate or court order.

Clearly and legibly write "EXPEDITE" on the envelope so that it can be speedily identified at the processing center. The National Passport Processing Center address can be found on the application for renewal. Within 3 to 4 weeks the application should be processed and your passport delivered to your. It may take longer, especially during peak travel periods.

Renew Your Passport at a Regional Passport Agency

Applying at a regional passport agency is an option if you cannot wait for your travel document to be returned by mail. The regional agencies attend travelers whose departure date is within 14 days and who do not need a travel visa. Those who need to obtain a visa can be attended at the regional agency up to 28 days before their departure date.

Presently, fifteen passport agencies operate in the United States. The agencies can be found in major cities throughout the U.S. including Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Norwalk (CO), Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit. Each agency attends a particular area of the United States.

Pick the regional passport agency that services your state of residence to begin the passport renewal process. You can set up an appointment by callling toll-free at 1-877-487-2778. This number is for an automated appointment system. Sometimes, it can be pretty hard to get through. It may be necessary to make numerous tries. Just keep calling.

Take the completed form and accompanying documentation with you to the regional passport agency on the day of your appointment. You are asked not to get to the agency more than 15 minutes early or to be over 15 minutes late. Being more than fifteen minutes late could result in the cancellation of your appointment.

If your appointment is early in the day, you could receive your renewed passport that same afternoon. If you are not attended until later in the day, you might possibly have to wait until the following day to get your passport.

Get Your Passport Renewed Through a Travel Document Expediter

Travel document expediters have a special relationship with regional agencies that allow them to represent their clients who are unable to personally deliver their requests to the agency for processing. Allowing a passport expediter to take care of the expediting of your passport renewal is a wise choice when you are in a time crunch and have many other things to take care of before your trip.

Passport expediters specialize in obtaining passports quickly. You are ordinarily given several choices as to how quickly you want your passport expedited. Processing times are as follows.

Standard - 8 to 10 business days
Rush - 5 to 7 business days
Priority - 3 to 4 business days
Next Day - 2 business days
24 hours - 1 business day

Once you have decided on how speedily you want to acquire your passport, you need to complete an online form with personal information such as your name, address, phone number and email. Next, type in information about your trip including date of departure and destination. Confirm whether you have an itinerary or not.

You need to download the expediter's authorization form. The completed and signed form should be sent along with your passport renewal application and other documentation to the expediter by express mail.

Make Your Choice

Now you know the three ways to expedite your passport renewal. Send the passport application yourself. Get it expedited at a regional passport agency. Or allow a private expediting service to get the job done for you. The choice is yours. You get to decide. You make the decision. Just make sure you choose a way to get your passport renewal expedited that gets it done before your departure date.

Passport Renewal

Packed your bags for a long holiday abroad? Ready to leave? Before you sign off, it would be wise to check if your passport has expired. If so, don't get tense. Just consider yourself lucky that the procedure of passport renewal has improved over the years and will not take much time.

Passport renewal is a service offered by the government of a country for its citizens who need to travel internationally and are not the first-time applicants of a passport. Passport renewal is basically the procedure of renewing or re-issuing a passport in case it has been lost, stolen or damaged. A passport is also renewed if the name of the applicant has changed and his current passport bears his old name.

The steps involved in the process of renewal include submitting a passport renewal application form and important documents like identification, birth certificate, citizenship proof and passport-size photos. Apart from this, the payment is also to be included with the forms submitted. Sometimes certain modifications or amendments have to be made in printed passports, for which submitting a passport renewing application is required.

Normally, the process of passport renewal does not take too long, 6 weeks on average. But in cases of emergency, the process can be sped up, reducing the time taken to one day.

Owing to security issues the method of passport renewal has been made more rigid and complex. This has been done by including digital photographs, biometric technology, and the most recent, e-passport. However, passport renewal is not an expensive service, and provides us with a gateway to the world outside our national borders.