Should I renew my expired passport or apply for a new one?

by Brenda
(Irving, Texas, United States)

Question: I am going to Cozumel in a few months. My passport expired 4 years ago. Should I renew or apply for a new one?

Should I renew my expired passport or apply for a new one?

by Lisa
(Sebastopol, CA USA)

Question: My passport expired a few years ago. Can I still renew? Also is a marriage license/certificate sufficient for a name change? I never officially changed my name after I got married in 1992. I thought the marriage certificate was sufficient. What documentation is needed? If I need to do an official name change, how long will this take?

Answer: You can renew a passport by mail as long as you were not age 15 or younger when the it was issued, it has been no more than 15 years since it was issued and the passport is not significantly damaged.

The requirements to obtain a U.S. passport renewal include a completed application form DS-82, your most recent passport and one passport photo taken within the last 6 months.

An original or certified copy of a marriage certificate serves as evidence of a legal name change.

The fee to renew a passport book is $110. You can request a passport card at the same time for an additional $30.

The time to get a passport for routine service is about 4-6 weeks. You can request expedited service if you want to get your passport renewed in 2-3 weeks. There is an additional $60 fee for this.

If you need to get your passport in less than two weeks, you can either visit a regional passport agency or authorize a fast, reliable passport expediting courier service to submit the application for you.

Applicants are encouraged to use a secure means of packaging such as a Tyvek envelope and a traceable delivery method. Two-way overnight delivery is strongly recommended if you need your passport fast.

Is it faster to renew your expired passport or get a new passport?

Question: I need to get my passport in less than two months. I live in Roanoke, VA and it expired last year.

Answer: It takes the State Department Bureau of Consular Services the same amount of time to process a passport renewal as it does an application for a new passport. Regular processing normally takes 4-6 weeks except under unusual circumstances.

However, it will be faster (and less costly) for you to renew your expired passport since renewals do not require you to appear before an agent nor pay the execution fee.

For complete instructions, please visit How to Apply to Renew a Passport.

Should I renew my expired passport or apply for a new one?

by Thomas
(Auburn, Al, USA)

Question: My expired passport has this typed on the last page "this passport expires on Oct 23 2008. Replacement may be issued under 22 CFR 51.41." Maybe this can help the process.

Answer: You can renew your passport by mail if you meet all the criteria. These include:

* Your most recent passport is not damaged and you can submit it with the application.

* Your passport was issued when you were age 16 or older.

* The expired passport was issued in your current name or you can legally document the name change.

If you meet all these criteria, then you can renew the expired passport by mail.

Besides the usual requirements, the endorsement at the end of your expired passport also requires you to submit proof of citizenship. Any one of the following service this purpose.

* a U.S. birth certificate; or
* a U.S. naturalization certificate; or
* a U.S. certificate of citizenship; or
* a U.S. consular report of birth abroad; or

Together with the proof of citizenship, you need to send the completed application form DS-82, two passport photos and payment for the fee to the address on the application.

Regular processing takes 4-6 weeks. Expedites service takes 2-3 weeks. If you need to renew your passport faster, you can either visit the New Orleans Passport Agency or authorize a private passport expediting service to do it for you.