Passport renewal: route, cost and rules
Most adults can renew without going to a facility. The checker tests your passport against the mail and online rules and prices the route that is left.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Your renewal route
You can renew online
$130 in fees, routine service
| Current passport expires | October 17, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Online renewal | Eligible |
| Renewal by mail (DS-82) | Eligible |
| Fee for this route | $130 |
How this was calculated
- Online: 10-year passport, age 25+, expiring within 1 year or expired less than 5 years ago (for you: October 17, 2026 to October 16, 2032), same name, no travel for 6 weeks, routine only.
- By mail: issued within the last 15 years, when you were 16 or older, undamaged, never reported lost, same name or a name-change document.
- Children under 16 can never renew: every child passport is a new DS-11 in person.
Estimate from the State Department’s published fees and processing times. Mailing times vary and the Department decides each case. Independent site, not affiliated with the Department of State; we sell no expediting service. Method and sources
An adult renewal costs $130 for a passport book, $30 for a card and $160 for both, paid to the U.S. Department of State, with no $35 execution fee because nobody has to witness the application. By mail on Form DS-82, the passport must have been issued in the last 15 years, when you were 16 or older and for 10 years, never reported lost or stolen, undamaged beyond normal wear, and in your current name or with a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order for the new one. Online renewal adds stricter conditions: age 25 or more, a passport that expires within 1 year or expired less than 5 years ago, no change of personal information, being in the United States, and no travel for 6 weeks, since it cannot be expedited. Fail the mail rules and you apply in person on Form DS-11 at $165. A routine mail renewal can take 70 days door to door.
What the checker asks, and why
Each field of the checker maps to one sentence of the State Department’s two renewal pages. The issue date decides the 15-year limit for mail and, through the expiration date it implies, the online window. The age at issue tells a 10-year adult passport from a 5-year child passport, which can never be renewed. Your age today matters only online, where the minimum is 25. A name change with a legal document keeps you eligible by mail but rules out online renewal; without a document, only an in-person application works. Damage beyond wear, or a passport reported lost, sends you to Form DS-11.
Mail or online when you qualify for both
The fee is the same, so the choice is about time and risk. Online, you skip the outbound mail, pay by card and keep your old passport until you submit, but you cannot expedite and the old passport is canceled on submission. By mail, the envelope can take up to 2 weeks to arrive, but you can expedite it for $60 and write “EXPEDITE” on the envelope. If a trip falls within 6 weeks, mail with expedited service is the only renewal left. The calculator on processing times dates both.
Your renewal calendar
Online renewal opens
December 17, 2026
| Too short for 6-month countries from | June 17, 2027 |
| Mail a routine renewal by | April 8, 2027 |
| Online renewal closes | December 16, 2032 |
One check for the household
Spouses or relatives renewing at the same time may send several DS-82 forms in one envelope and pay with one check or money order covering all of them. Add up the fees per application; a check that falls short holds up every form in the envelope.