Renewing passports in person can only be done in the United
States at a regional passport agency. These agencies only provide
expedited service to American citizens who need to get passports in a
hurry due to plans to travel outside the U.S. within two weeks.
Scheduling an Appointment
The
first step to renewing a passport in person is to schedule an
appointment at one of the regional agencies. They can only be found in
major cities such as Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle and
New York. You schedule a visit by calling their toll-free appointment
system at 1-877-487-2778. You may be required to make several attempts
before finally getting your appointment set up.
Preparing to Submit Your Application
While
you await your appointment date, you should gather all required
documents. The application form you will use for a passport renewal is
Form DS-82. You can either type in your data and then print it or print
the form and fill it in using black ink. Besides the completed
application form, you also need to submit your last passport and two
passport photos taken within the last six months.
Note, the
passport you submit with your application for renewal cannot be damaged.
It also cannot have an issuance date greater than 15 years ago.
Finally, it cannot be submitted if you were a minor when it was issued.
If
your name has changed since your last passport was issued, you are
required to submit evidence of the legal name change. Acceptable
documents include a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.
Visiting the Regional Passport Agency
Applicants
should arrive only a few minutes prior to their appointment and no more
than fifteen minutes late. If you show up later than this, your
appointment may be canceled and you would have to reschedule.
Upon
arrival at the agency, you need to present your ID and the appointment
confirmation number. After passing through the security check, you will
be directed to the appropriate location for submitting your passport
renewal application. You will receive a number. When your number
appears, submit your application and documents to the agent.
If
the form and documents are acceptable, you will make payment for the
fees. The fee to renew a passport is $110 and the fee for expedited
service is $60 for a total of $170. Passport fees can be paid by credit
card, debit card, money order or personal check at the regional agency.
Depending
on the demand at the time you apply and the date your flight is
scheduled to depart, the process should be completed and your passport
renewed within a few days to as quickly as the same day.
Don't have time for renewing a passport in person? Visit U.S. Passport Service Guide to access our directory of professional passport expediting services or read answers to frequently asked questions about expedited passport renewals.
