As any traveler will discover, your passport is a valuable
document. You will come to know it well the more frequently you travel.
Unfortunately, many people do not travel enough (or just do not keep on
top of their paperwork) to know when they need to renew a passport. Many
people are sitting on expired passports, thinking they can still travel
whenever they want. This is going to be a rough situation if some
emergency comes up. Six months before you passport expires should be
your warning time to renew it.
The reason why you might need six
months to renew your passport is to account for any delays or
complications. It is an official document and therefore must undergo a
lot of research and processing.
It can take quite a while to get it to
you. But you should be on the lookout for local passport agencies who
sometimes do deals for people in the area. They will have a one day
special in order to serve as many people at once as they can for a
slightly cheaper rate.
So what should you do first? Typically,
most people renew their passports through the mail. It is simple to do
and you don't have to travel anywhere. However, this option is not
available for every person in every situation. It is only available if
the below statements reflect your passport status.
Your passport
is undamaged. You can submit your passport with the form. You were older
than sixteen when you got your passport. Your passport is fifteen years
old or less. You still have the same name as you do on your passport.
If you do not have the same name, you can show through legal documents
your name change. Assuming these statements are true, you can download
the DS-82 form from travel.state.gov.
If you have a problem with
one of those statements or your passport was stolen or this will be your
first ever passport, applying in person is your only option. Find the
DS-11 form on the same site.
Make sure you have all of your proper
documentation ready to go. Do not even go if you are missing one of the
documents as it will waste everyone's time.
Passport Agencies (or
more temporary Acceptance Facilities) are where you get this done. Go
there with your form and bits of documentation. Some examples of
documentation include proof of citizenship, birth certificate, marriage
license, and your old passport. Understand what you need.
To help
you locate these areas, go to the site and look for the search engine or
locator. You just have to type in your zip code. This will help you
find people or areas near you. Some people may be certified to do it,
such as notaries and town clerks.
The most important advice is to pay attention to the special passport requirements
page. Things like age (if you are under eighteen) can have very
different rules than normal passport appliers. There are also special
requirements to renew your passport if you have diplomatic or official status.
