Fill out Form DS-82 online

Form DS-82 renews a U.S. passport by mail. You can use it if your most recent passport is undamaged, was issued in the last 15 years, was issued when you were age 16 or older, and is in your current name (or you can document a name change). Fill and print it, then mail it with your old passport, a photo, and the fee.

U.S. citizens and non-citizen nationals use Form DS-82 to renew an adult passport book, card, or both by mail. You can use it only if you can answer YES to all six eligibility statements on the first instruction page: you can send in your most recent passport, it was issued when you were 16 or older, it was issued less than 15 years ago, it is not damaged or reported lost or stolen, it was not limited to less than 10 years, and your name is the same or you can document the change. You mail the form with your old passport, one photo, and a check or money order to the National Passport Processing Center; you do not take it to a passport acceptance facility. If you answer NO to any statement, you cannot use this form and may need Form DS-11 (in person) or DS-5504 instead.

1. Section A — Eligibility (instruction page 1). Mark YES or NO for each of the six statements. If any answer is NO, stop: the form says you cannot use DS-82. Only Application Pages 1 and 2 are mailed; you do not need to send the instruction pages.
2. Top of Application Page 1 — Documents you are applying for. Tick U.S. Passport Book, U.S. Passport Card, or Both. If you chose a book, also tick Regular Book (Standard) or Large Book (Non-Standard); the large book has more visa pages for frequent travelers. The card is not valid for international air travel.
3. Item 1 — Name (Last, First, Middle). Enter the name you want in the new passport. It should match your previous passport or your name change document. A passport card fits at most 24 letters for your first and middle names, so shorten one if both are longer.
4. Items 2–4 — Date of Birth, Sex, Place of Birth. Write your date of birth as MM/DD/YYYY. For Sex, the instructions printed on this edition say to select M or F matching your biological sex at birth. For place of birth, enter the city and state if born in the U.S., or the city and country as the country is named today.
5. Item 5 — Social Security Number. Enter your SSN if you have been issued one. If you have never had one, enter zeros and attach the signed, dated statement worded exactly as in the instructions (Section C, item 5); if you live abroad, also give the foreign country where you live.
6. Items 6–7 — Email and Primary Contact Phone Number. Your email address and phone number let the State Department send you status updates about your application. Use an email you check, since status updates are sent there.
7. Item 8 — Mailing Address. Line 1 is your street/RFD number, P.O. Box, or URB. Use Line 2 for an apartment or suite, or, if you don't live at that address, write the name of the person who does, marked "In Care Of". Fill in the city, state, ZIP code, and country only if outside the United States.
8. Item 9 — List all other names you have used. List earlier legal names such as a birth or maiden name or a previous married name, one in A and one in B. If only your last name changed, enter just the last name. Attach a separate sheet if you need more room.
9. Item 10 — U.S. Passport Information. Write your name exactly as printed on your most recent passport book and/or card. Enter the book number and its issue date, and the card number and its issue date, for whichever you have (MM/DD/YYYY).
10. Item 11 — Name Change Information. Complete this only if your name differs from your last passport. Tick Changed by Marriage or Changed by Court Order, and enter the place (city/state) and date of the change. You must send a certified copy of the marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order.
11. Photo and signature (Application Page 1). Staple one 2 x 2 inch color photo taken in the last 6 months in the photo box, using 4 staples vertically in the corners, close to the outer edges. After you print, sign and date by hand in black ink in the box under the declaration. Travel.state.gov says the signature and date are the only handwritten marks it accepts.
12. Application Page 2 — Name, Date of Birth, Items 12–16. At the top, repeat your name (Last, First, Middle) and date of birth. Then enter your height, hair color, eye color, occupation, and employer or school (if any).
13. Items 17–18 — Additional phone numbers and Permanent Address. Item 17 is optional extra phone numbers; tick Home, Cell, Work, or Other next to each. Fill in item 18 only if item 8 is a P.O. Box or you live somewhere other than your mailing address, and do not list a P.O. Box here.
14. Items 19–20 — Emergency Contact and Travel Plans. For item 19, give a person who is not traveling with you, with address, phone, email, and relationship. For item 20, enter departure and return dates (MM/DD/YYYY) and countries, or write "none" if you have no travel plans.

Common mistakes on the DS-82

• Using DS-82 when you are not eligible. If your passport was issued before age 16, more than 15 years ago, was damaged, or was reported lost or stolen, you must apply in person with Form DS-11. Check all six Section A statements first.
• Forgetting to sign and date. Travel.state.gov says to sign and date the renewal form after you print it and before you mail it. Write both by hand on Application Page 1, below the declaration.
• Printing double-sided or sending the instruction pages. Print Application Pages 1 and 2 on separate, single-sided sheets of 8.5 x 11 inch paper. The State Department does not accept double-sided forms. You do not need to mail the instruction pages.
• Not sending your most recent passport. You must mail your most recent passport book and/or card with the application. It is returned to you in a separate mailing.
• Name change without a certified document. If your name differs from your last passport, send a certified copy of your marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Without one you must apply in person on Form DS-11.
• A photo that doesn't meet the rules. Unacceptable photos are the top reason applications are put on hold. Use a 2 x 2 inch color photo from the last 6 months with a plain white or off-white background, no eyeglasses, and no filters or edits.
• Wrong payment or mailing address. Pay by personal check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State, with the applicant's full name and date of birth on the front, and never send cash. Mail to the address for your state, or to the expedite address with "EXPEDITE" written on the envelope.
• Correcting mistakes on the printed form. The form says not to correct or white out errors; complete a new form instead. Fix typos in the editor before you download and print.

Filling it in this editor

• The six YES/NO eligibility boxes at the top of page 1 are option buttons this editor can't tick, so use Add text to type an X in the YES or NO box you choose for each statement.
• The other boxes (Book/Card/Both, Regular or Large Book, Sex M/F, Changed by Marriage or Court Order, and the phone type boxes in item 17) are checkboxes: click to tick, and if one doesn't respond, type an X in it with Add text.
• Don't type the date next to the signature line. Travel.state.gov says to handwrite only your signature and the date, so add both by hand after printing.
• Don't use the Sign tool here. Type every other entry in the editor (no other handwritten marks are accepted), print single-sided, then sign and date by hand in black ink.

Written for the 04-2025 edition and checked against the official instructions on 2026-10-28: Renew Your Passport by Mail (travel.state.gov) · Passport Forms: printing and signing rules (travel.state.gov) · Passport Photos (travel.state.gov) · Passport Fees (travel.state.gov) · Form DS-82 PDF with instructions (U.S. Department of State). This guide explains the form; it isn't legal or tax advice.