How to Renew a US Passport in 2026 — Fees, Timing, and the Fast Option

You renew an adult passport by mail using Form DS-82 for $130 (plus $60 if you expedite), and as of August 2026 the State Department's posted processing times run four to six weeks routine and two to three weeks expedited, plus mailing time on both ends, per travel.state.gov. Renew online instead if your situation qualifies — the online renewal system is open to most mail-eligible renewers. Apply at least three months before any trip; this is information, not legal advice, and the official portal has the binding answer.

The catch worth knowing first: processing times are windows, not promises, and they move with seasonal volume — summer and December stretch them. Build your plan on the current posted time, then add two weeks of cushion for mail each way.

Are you eligible to renew by mail?

You can renew by mail (or online) if all of these are true, per the State Department's eligibility rules: your current passport is undamaged and was issued within the last 15 years, you were 16 or older when it was issued, it was issued in your current name or you can document the name change, and it is either expired less than five years ago or still valid. If any box fails — a first passport, a lost one, a 20-year-old booklet — you start over with the in-person DS-11 process instead.

Kids' passports are their own category: they expire every five years and always require an in-person application with a parent, however recent the last one was.

What does renewal cost?

Here is the full fee schedule as of August 2026, per the State Department's published fees:

The expedited fee buys processing priority only — it does not buy faster mail, which is why the return-delivery add-on exists. Fees are paid by check or money order by mail, or by card online.

What are the actual steps?

1. Confirm mail eligibility and check current processing times on travel.state.gov — they update weekly.
2. Fill out Form DS-82 (online, then print) or start the online renewal application on the State Department's renewal portal.
3. Include your most recent passport, a new photo meeting the photo requirements, the fee, and name-change documents if applicable.
4. Mail it to the address on the form using a traceable carrier; online renewal skips the mail-in except for the old passport, which you send when prompted.
5. Track status online five to seven business days after it arrives; statuses move from "not found" to "in process" to "approved."

The photo is where mail applications most often stall — glasses off, plain background, no shadows, taken within six months. A drugstore photo service that knows the State Department spec saves a redo cycle.

What if you travel within two weeks?

That is the urgent tier, and it exists only in person: call 1-877-487-2778 to book an appointment at a passport agency (available to travelers departing within 14 calendar days, or 28 days if you also need a foreign visa), and bring proof of travel. Life-or-death emergencies within 72 hours get an emergency slot at the same number. Expedited-by-mail is the wrong tool once a departure is inside two weeks.

What this guide establishes is the current fee schedule and posted windows. Rules and times change — verify with travel.state.gov before you apply, and the site's own status tool is the authoritative word on your renewal.