How can I check to see if I have a valid passport?
Question: My last passport expired May of last year. I thought I had renewed it but now can't locate it. Do I need to renew or can I get a duplicate?
Answer: First of all, the State Department does not issue duplicate passports. You can
apply for a passport record if you want to discover if you applied for a renewal. The fee is $150 and it takes up to six weeks.
Here is the dilemma. If you did NOT renew the passport you currently posses, then you are eligible to renew it by mail. All you need to send is completed
Form DS-82, the passport, a passport photo and payment of the fee. For a complete list of requirements, click the link below.
Apply to Renew PassportIf you did renew the passport and, then, lost it, you are not eligible to renew it by mail. You need to report the lost passport by calling the
National Passport Information Center and, then, appear in person to apply for a new passport. For instructions, click the link below.
Get a New Passport
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UPDATE: Mailing delays are impacting passport processing. The Department of State's processing times begin when applications are received at a passport agency or center and not when you mail them or apply at a local acceptance facility.
Standard service may take between 6 and 9 weeks. This timeframe does not include delivery time. Mailing times vary across the country.
Expedited service takes from 3 to 5 weeks exluding mailing times on the front and back end. Mailing delays may be significant so requesting 1-2-day mailing may greatly help.
Regional passport agencies are offering two types of appointments: Life-of-Death Emergency Service and Urgent Travel Service.
Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, and grandparent) that require you to travel outside the United States within 3 business days.
If you need to travel due to a qualified life-or-death emergency, please call the National Passport Information Center for an appointment:
Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. ET, call 1-877-487-2778 (TDD/TTY:1-888-874-7793)
Outside of these hours, call 202-647-4000.
For Urgent Travel Service, you need to call 14 days before your scheduled international travel or 28 days if you also need to secure a foreign visa.
If you need to travel urgently for reasons other than a life-or-death emergency, please call the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. ET.
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