Find Out What You Need To Renew Your U.S. Passport

Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 7:39 am

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Need to renew a passport? There are several options of doing this, including visiting your nearest US Embassy (for those living outside the United States). You can also do it by mail. Choosing this option helps confirm the delivery of your mailing. From there, the steps on how to renew a passport by mail would depend on several factors. First of all, you need to meet the requirements of passport renewal by mail.

Who can renew their passports by mail? Those who can do this are people whose recent passports are in good condition, issued when they were 18 years old or over, issued anytime within the last 15 years, or those that contain the passport holder’s current legal name. Should the last requirement not apply to you, you should at least be able to legally document the change in your name.

In cases wherein you don’t fall under the requirements we mentioned above, you would be required to appear in person at the passport office for your U.S. passport renewal. These instances include cases where your passport was damaged or mutilated, or when your passport was issued more than 15 years ago. This step helps ensure that you are issued the correct passport.

As mentioned earlier, US citizens living in the US or in Canada are allowed to renew their passports by mail. If you wish to do this, you need to fill up the Form DS-82, then mail it to the corresponding passport agency. You have the option of filling this form online, or downloading it and filling it in by hand.

Since your passport renewal form contains your personal information, you should do everything to protect those pieces of sensitive information. First, make sure that your mail is received by the addressee by mailing it in a traceable way. Most courier services now offer this kind of option. Aside from that, make sure that the envelope you’re using is durable, and cannot be damaged by just anyone or by nature.

In case you are living outside the United States or Canada, you need to visit the nearest US embassy to have your passport renewed. The embassy will provide you with all the necessary forms to do this. This is the only option you have if you’re based in a foreign country.

Typically, it takes 4-6 weeks to process your passport for renewal. However, there are instances where you will be allowed to have this process expedited. To do this, you should visit your Regional Passport Agency. Take note though, that expedited passport renewals are only allowed in two cases: if you need the passport in less than 2 weeks to travel to a foreign destination, or if you need the passport within 4 weeks for your application of a foreign visa.

If you’re wondering how to renew a us passport, the information that we supplied you above will help you do it the easy way. We would recommend that you apply by mail as this enables you to renew your US passport at the comfort of your own home. All you need to do is to fill up the necessary documents, then send it by mail. After 2-6 weeks (depending on your situation), your new passport will then be delivered to you.