How to renew your U.S. passport online (DS-82)

TL;DR

Online passport renewal (really called the DS-82) is the simplest path the State Department offers. If you’re a U.S. citizen aged 16+ whose most recent passport was issued in the last 15 years, you can mail in five things (form, photo, current passport, fee, signature) and skip the acceptance facility entirely.

Standard processing is 4–6 weeks; pay $60 extra for expedited and you’re at 2–3 weeks. Photo rejections are the #1 source of delay. Get that one detail right and the rest is administrative.

Are you eligible?

You qualify for the DS-82 (online renewal) if all five of these are true:

1. You have your most recent passport in hand, undamaged. A wet, ripped, or hole-punched passport doesn’t count.
2. It was issued in the last 15 years. Older than that, you’re treated as a new applicant.
3. It was issued when you were 16 or older. Child passports always renew via the in-person DS-11.
4. It’s in your current name, or you can submit a certified legal name-change document (marriage certificate, court order).
5. You can pay by credit/debit card at submission.

Fail any one → you’re filing DS-11 (in-person at an acceptance facility) instead.

What you’ll need

• Your most recent passport book (or card).
• A 2×2 inch color photo, taken in the last 6 months (see the photo rules below).
• A pen for the signature.
• Card or check for $130 (standard) or $190 (expedited).
• Mailing envelope rated for tracking.

The five steps

1. Take a compliant photo

This is the make-or-break step. State Department photo rules in 2026:

• 2×2 inches, color, on a plain white or off-white background.
• No glasses, no hats, no headphones. Religious head coverings are fine if worn daily.
• Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open and visible.
• Head height 1 to 1.375 inches from chin to top of head (about 50–69% of the photo).
• No shadows on the face or background. Even, diffused lighting.
• Taken in the last 6 months.

You can use a CVS / Walgreens / Costco photo counter, a passport photo app, or your phone’s selfie camera in good light. If you DIY, hold the phone at eye level, stand 4 feet from a white wall, face a window for daylight, and crop using the State Department’s free guideline tool.

2. Download and fill DS-82

Pull the form from travel.state.gov or use the in-browser fillable PDF. Type it; don’t handwrite. The form asks for:

• Personal info, current contact, and addresses for the last 5 years.
• Travel plans (optional but speeds up flagging).
• Most-recent passport details (book number + issue date).
• Emergency contact.
• Signature.

Sign in black ink at the bottom. Wet signatures only, no e-signatures.

3. Add the fee

Service	Form fee	Execution fee	Total
Adult passport book renewal	$130	$0 (no exec fee for DS-82)	$130
Adult passport book + expedite	$130 + $60	$0	$190
Passport card renewal	$30	$0	$30
Book + Card renewal	$160	$0	$160

Pay by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State.” Don’t send cash. Don’t staple the check to the form.

4. Mail the package

Mailing address differs by state. Your DS-82 form will print the right lockbox address based on the ZIP you enter. Use a trackable carrier (Priority Mail with tracking, UPS, FedEx). Yes, you’re shipping your only passport to the government, and yes, you want a tracking number.

Add a self-addressed, stamped envelope ONLY if you want your old passport returned (it’s mailed back automatically; the SASE just speeds it up).

5. Track and wait

Status appears in the Online Passport Status System (search “passport status” at travel.state.gov) about 4 business days after delivery. The states are:

1. Received: they’ve opened your envelope.
2. In Process: adjudicator is reviewing.
3. Approved: printing.
4. Mailed: tracking number issued.

If they need anything from you (better photo, missing signature, name-change document), they email you and the timeline pauses.

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Common pitfalls

• Photo rejected for glasses or shadows. Glasses have been disallowed since 2016. If you got away with them in 2018, the rule still applies in 2026. Shadows under the chin are the #2 rejection.
• Signature in pencil or blue ink. Black ink, period.
• Stapled / clipped passport. Don’t attach your passport to anything; toss it loose in the envelope.
• Out-of-date form version. Print fresh from travel.state.gov; expired form versions are auto-rejected.
• No tracking on the outbound envelope. USPS First Class with no tracking is the most common way passports go missing in transit.
• Forgetting the name-change document. If you’re renewing under a married/court-changed name, the certified document goes in the envelope. Uncertified copies don’t count.

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What our tiers cover

When you start a passport renewal through us instead of doing it yourself, here’s what’s included by tier. Our service is application preparation, plus hand delivery to the State Department by our courier agents on the Priority Courier and Urgent Travel tiers. Processing times are set by the State Department, not by us.

Smart Choice: $89 + $130 government fee

• We pre-fill your DS-82 from a 90-second intake form
• We check your photo against the 14 State Department rules
• Print-ready package emailed to you within one business day
• You sign, mail, track. Routine processing (State Department estimate: 4–6 weeks).

Expedited (State Dept.): $129 + $190 government fee (includes the State Department’s expedite fee)

• Everything in Smart Choice
• Prepared for the State Department’s expedited processing, with its $60 fee in your government-fee total (no separate check to work out)
• Your file is reviewed on our end within 4 hours
• State Department estimate for expedited processing: 2–3 weeks

Priority Courier: $350 + $190 government fee

• Hand-carried to the State Department by our courier agents: no mail time, and your application stays with our agents until it reaches the Department
• Dedicated agent and status monitoring from start to finish
• The State Department sets the processing time

Urgent Travel: $500 + $190 government fee

• The same hand-carry service, for urgent travel: your application prepared within 48 hours, then hand-carried to the State Department by our courier agents
• Every document, photo, and printout checked before it goes
• The State Department decides when your passport is ready

All tiers include unlimited support emails / calls and free re-submission if your photo gets kicked back.

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Refund policy in plain English

• 24-hour no-questions-asked refund of our service fee. Email or call within 24 hours of payment, get 100% back.
• After 24 hours, our team has begun work on your file, so the egovrush service fee becomes non-refundable.
• Government fees ($130 / $190) go directly to the State Department and are never recoverable through us.

Full details on the refund policy page.

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When to use us vs. DIY

Situation	Best path
You like paperwork and have time	DIY DS-82: it’s free besides State’s $130
You want to skip the photo headache	Smart Choice tier
Travel in 4-8 weeks, want a buffer	Expedited (State Dept.) tier
Travel in 2-4 weeks, want a dedicated agent	Priority Courier tier
Travel in <14 days	Urgent Travel tier
Lost / stolen / damaged passport	See the lost passport guide
First-ever passport, child passport, or you fail a DS-82 condition	DS-11 in person (we can help)

Either way, your old passport stays valid for travel until State takes it during processing, so book your trip with confidence as soon as you have a tracking number on the outbound envelope.

Need help preparing your renewal? Explore our passport renewal preparation service.