A USA Passport renewal may be accomplished by any U.S. citizen by either mail or in person. Renewal by mail is only an option if the passport holder meets all the requirements. By visiting a local passport office, process will still take some time but it can be moved along a bit smoother by being on hand to provide any documentation that may be needed. There are services available online that can help to expedite this or the government offers their own version of expedited service.
In order for the passport holder to renew his or her passport via mail, several conditions must be met. The passport holder’s most recent passport must be undamaged and able to be submitted with the renewal application. The passport must have been issued less than 15 years ago in the person’s current name or the person must be able to provide documentation of any name change. The most recent passport must have been issued when the person was at least 16 years old.
To renew the passport by mail, the passport holder must complete an application for U.S. Passport by Mail. This form may be found online and may be completed electronically or printed and hand-written. The applicant must mail the application with his/her most recent U.S. Passport, two identical photos, the passport fee, and documentation substantiating a name change, if applicable.
The standard processing time for passport renewal is four to six weeks. The government offers an expedited delivery service that will process the renewal application within two to three weeks. There are independent expediting service companies that can process the renewal within 24 hours for an additional charge in excess of the government fees. Passport holders who realize that their passport has expired and need to renew it in a hurry will want to take advantage of this service.
If the passport is not eligible to be renewed by mail, the passport holder must re-apply for a passport in person.. The Application for a U.S. Passport must be completed and submitted with evidence of U.S. Citizenship, acceptable additional identification, photocopy of this identification, two identical passport photos, and the passport fee.. The applicant must go to a U.S. Passport Acceptance Facility or Regional Passport Agency in order to get the new passport. The independent expediting service can accommodate these applicants, but applicants must first present the required documentation to the Passport Acceptance Facility or Agency.
The above guidelines are strictly for adults applying for a renewal, minors on the other hand have a few more guidelines that must be followed. They must apply in person no matter what, if they are still under the age of 16 or if the passport was issued while they were under that age. They then must follow the same guidelines as an adult and submit the renewal form along with pictures, ID and the processing fee, if any. The same rules for expediting apply for minors as they do adults in that they may choose either the governments offering or to go with one of the private service providers for a passport renewal.
U.S. citizens that happen to live in Canada are also able to renew their passports by mail if the meet all the requirements. Those who live in other countries, however, only have the option for renewal by appearing in person at either the local Consulate office or U.S. Embassy. All the locations of these offices may be searched out by going on the Internet.
A pasport renewal is not as difficult a procedure as some would make it out to be. It may be accomplished either by using the mail or by going online and searching out a private service provider. The private pasport service providers can definitely speed up the procedure as compared to the standard government channels.