How to fill out Form DS-82 to renew a passport by mail
Who can renew by mail, what to send with it, and the boxes people get wrong.
Form DS-82 renews a U.S. passport by mail, without going in person, if your most recent passport is undamaged, was issued when you were 16 or older, was issued within the last 15 years, and is in your current name (or you can document the change). Otherwise you use Form DS-11 in person. Many people can now renew online through the State Department instead.
Fields, in order.
- 01Name, date and place of birth
Exactly as on your current passport, unless you are changing your name with a marriage certificate or court order.
- 02Contact details
Email and phone so the State Department can reach you about the application.
- 03Most recent passport
Book or card number and issue date. You send the passport itself with the application.
- 04Book, card or both
The book is for international travel; the card is for land and sea crossings with Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.
- 05Signature and date
Sign in ink on the printed form. The State Department requires a handwritten signature on DS-82.
Common mistakes.
DS-82 needs a wet signature. Fill it on screen, print it, then sign it by hand.
2 by 2 inches, taken in the last six months, white background, no glasses. Photo problems are the top reason for delays.
Pay by check or money order to the U.S. Department of State, and check the current fee before you send it.
Terms you will see.
Ask the document what any of them means. The answer cites the page.
Fill it, check it, sign it.
Fill it by asking
Drop the PDF, paste the facts, and the agent fills every matching field. Unmatched fields are listed so nothing is skipped.
Check it before you send
Empty required fields, a missing signature, a date that disagrees with another page. The document check lists them with page numbers.
Sign it and send it
Draw your signature and place it, free. Or send it to someone else to sign on their phone, with an audit certificate. Free, 25 a month.
Passport renewal (DS-82),
answered.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Can I fill it in here?+
Yes. Download the DS-82 from travel.state.gov, open it in Fill & Sign and type into it on any device. Then print it and sign it by hand.
Can I renew online instead?+
Often yes. Check the State Department's online passport renewal to see if you qualify; it skips the mailing.
Fill your Passport renewal (DS-82) in about ninety seconds.
Open the official PDF here, type into it, sign and send it back. No card needed.