How to Fill Out Form DS-82 — Passport Renewal by Mail

Form DS-82 is the mail-in renewal for U.S. passports — no facility visit, no appointment. You fill the form, attach your most recent passport, a new photo and the fee, and mail the packet to the address printed on the form. It only works if you meet all five eligibility conditions below — otherwise you need Form DS-11 in person. Fill DS-82 privately with our free DS-82 filler — your personal data and SSN never leave your device.

Step 0 — the five eligibility conditions

DS-82 works only if every one of these is true:

You have your most recent passport in hand (it goes into the envelope).
It's undamaged — normal wear is fine; torn, water-damaged or altered passports fail.
It was issued when you were 16 or older — child passports can't renew by mail.
It was issued within the last 15 years.
Your name is unchanged, or you can document the change (marriage certificate, court order).

Any “no” means DS-11 at an acceptance facility — no exceptions.

Filling the form

Name, date and place of birth — as in your current passport (or your documentation, if the name changed).
SSN — mandatory. Federal law requires it on passport applications. Fill locally so it stays on your device.
Contact details — mailing address, phone, email.
Your most recent passport's number, issue date and expiration date — copy them exactly from the passport's data page.
Name change information — if applicable, with the document details.

Sign and date it at home — unlike DS-11, this form needs no witness. An unsigned form comes straight back.

Photo, old passport, fee

One passport photo — 2×2 inches, white background, no glasses, taken within the last six months. Staple it where the form shows.
Your most recent passport goes into the envelope — DS-82 is a trade. It's cancelled and returned to you, usually in a separate mailing from the new passport (don't worry if they arrive days apart).
The fee — check or money order payable to “U.S. Department of State”; current amounts are on travel.state.gov. Write your name and date of birth on the check's memo line.

Mailing: routine vs expedited go to different addresses

The form prints two addresses — one for routine service, one for expedited. Sending an expedited packet to the routine address loses both the fee advantage and the time. Use a trackable mail service: this envelope contains your only passport.

The mistakes that send DS-82 packets back

Using DS-82 without meeting all five conditions — the damaged-passport and child-passport cases are the most common failures.
Forgetting the old passport. Without it the application is incomplete and returns unprocessed.
Photo problems — older than six months, glasses, shadows, wrong size.
Wrong mailing address for the service level you paid for.
Unsigned form or a check to the wrong payee. “U.S. Department of State” — spelled exactly.
Cutting it close to a trip. Check current processing estimates before mailing and pay for expedited service if travel is within a few months.

Is there a fully online renewal?

The State Department has been rolling out an online renewal system for eligible applicants — check travel.state.gov for current availability. DS-82 by mail remains the standard route, and this page helps you fill the form privately before you print and mail it.

Fill out Form DS-82 now — free, no upload

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements and fees change — check the current edition and instructions at travel.state.gov.