A us passport renewal costs $130 for the book and takes four to six weeks of processing, and if you qualify you can now do the whole thing online. What catches people is not the form. It is the eligibility rules, which are strict, and the mailing time, which is not counted in the published processing figures at all.
Every fee, deadline and requirement below comes from the State Department. Read the timing section before you book a trip, because the difference between the advertised four to six weeks and the real door-to-door time is about a month.
US Passport Renewal Fees
Renewing is cheaper than applying for the first time, because the $35 acceptance fee charged by the facility where you submit a first application does not apply. The State Department publishes the following.
- Passport book renewal: $130, by mail or online, with no acceptance fee.
- Passport card renewal: $30, and the card is valid for domestic flights and land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
- Both together: $160.
- A first adult application: $130 plus a $35 acceptance fee, paid to the facility.
- A child under 16: $100 plus $35, valid five years, and it cannot be renewed.
Two optional charges sit on top. Expedited service is $60 per application, and 1 to 3 day return delivery of the finished book is $23.36. Correcting a data error on a recently issued passport using Form DS-5504 is free, and if you cannot produce evidence of citizenship a file search costs $150.
Can You Renew, or Do You Have to Start Again?
Renewal by mail is only open to people whose existing passport meets every one of five conditions. Miss one and you apply in person as a first-time applicant, with the $35 fee back on the bill.
- You have the passport and can submit it with the application.
- It is undamaged, beyond normal wear.
- It was issued within the last 15 years.
- It was issued when you were 16 or older and was valid for 10 years.
- It is in your current name, or you can provide a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order showing the change.
A lost or stolen passport is never renewable, and neither is one issued more than 15 years ago. Children under 16 cannot renew at all, because their passports are valid for five years and require a fresh in-person application every time.
Renewing Online, and the Catch Nobody Mentions
Online renewal is open to eligible adults who want routine service, and the requirements are tighter than the by-mail ones.
- You are 25 or older.
- Your passport was valid for 10 years and is expiring within a year, or expired less than five years ago.
- You are not travelling for at least six weeks, because online renewals cannot be expedited.
- You upload a digital photo and complete the application yourself.
- You use opr.travel.state.gov, the only official site for it.
Here is the part worth reading twice: the State Department cancels your current passport as soon as you submit the online application. You cannot use it for international travel from that moment, so the old book is not a fallback while the new one is printed. If there is any chance of an unplanned trip in the next couple of months, renew by mail instead and keep the ability to pay for expediting.
Only .gov is official. The State Department warns that sites and companies claiming to renew passports online may be fraudulent, that they charge extra fees and put personal data at risk, and that having “Gov” in a company name means nothing. No third party can sign and submit an online renewal on your behalf.
How Long It Really Takes
The headline figures are processing times only, measured from when an agency receives your application to when it posts the new passport. The State Department is explicit that mailing time is not included.
- Routine processing: 4 to 6 weeks.
- Expedited processing: 2 to 3 weeks, for $60 extra.
- Up to 2 weeks for your application to reach them.
- Up to 2 weeks for the new passport to reach you, unless you pay $23.36 for 1 to 3 day return delivery.
- Urgent travel: an appointment at a passport agency, requiring proof of international travel within 14 calendar days.
Add those up and routine renewal is realistically eight to ten weeks door to door, not four to six. Expedited with fast return delivery lands closer to three to four weeks. If you paid the $60 and the application was not processed within the stated timeframe, you can request a refund of that fee, though the application and execution fees are never refundable by law.
Timing your application well is free. The State Department says its busiest period runs from late winter through summer and recommends applying between October and December, when demand is lowest.
The Passport Card, and When It Is Enough
At $30 the card is the cheapest solution to a problem a lot of people are currently solving the expensive way, and it is renewed on the same form as the book.
- It is valid for domestic flights and is an acceptable form of identification at any TSA checkpoint.
- It covers land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
- It is not valid for international air travel, which is the limit that matters.
- It fits in a wallet, so it stays with you rather than in a drawer.
If your driver’s licence is not compliant and you fly domestically, a $30 card settles the question permanently and avoids a trip to the licensing office. Weigh it against the real id requirements before deciding which document to chase, because the card arrives by post while a licence appointment may be weeks out.
What to Send, and What Comes Back Separately
- Form DS-82, completed, signed and dated before mailing.
- Your most recent passport, which is returned in a separate mailing up to two weeks after the new one arrives.
- A name change document if applicable, also returned separately.
- A new photo meeting the current requirements.
- A check or money order to the U.S. Department of State, with your full name and date of birth written on the front.
Sending your only passport away is the part people find uncomfortable, and it is unavoidable on a renewal by mail. Use a trackable mailing service, keep a photocopy and a photo of the details page, and note that the old book comes back separately from the new one, up to two weeks later. Neither mailing is the one to panic about if the other has already arrived.
One free upgrade is easy to miss on the form itself. If you travel often, tick the large book box at the top of Form DS-82 and you get a passport with more visa pages at no extra cost. Use DS-82 as well if you hold only a card and want a book, or only a book and want a card.
Plan the trip around the document rather than the other way round. Once the passport is in hand, the remaining airport unknowns are small and fixable, and our guides to carry on luggage size and global entry vs tsa precheck cover the two that cost the most time on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my renewal is rejected?
You will get a letter or email explaining what is missing, and you must respond within 90 days of the date on it. The application fee and the execution fee are not refundable by law, so a rejection that forces a fresh in-person application costs the money twice.
How much does it cost to renew a US passport?
$130 for the passport book, $30 for the card, or $160 for both, with no acceptance fee because you are renewing rather than applying in person. Expedited service adds $60 and fast return delivery adds $23.36.
Can I renew my passport online?
If you are 25 or older, your passport was a 10 year book expiring within a year or expired less than five years ago, and you are not travelling for at least six weeks. Online renewals are routine service only and cannot be expedited.
How early should I renew my passport?
Around nine months before it expires is comfortable, because some countries require six months of validity beyond your travel dates and routine renewal realistically takes eight to ten weeks door to door. Applying between October and December avoids the busiest months.
Can I travel while my renewal is being processed?
Not internationally if you renewed online, because your current passport is cancelled the moment you submit. Renewing by mail also means sending the book away. Domestically you can fly on a REAL ID-compliant licence or another acceptable document.
