Renew Your US Passport For American Citizens
Sunday, February 7th, 2010 | Travel and Leisure
A passport gives you the right to travel and show you are a citizen. It can be easy to obtain, but you will need to allow several weeks before you need to have it. Passport renewal should be done when you have a name change, it has been lost or stolen or if it is expiring.
You should get this done as soon as possible if you are planning on traveling since many countries require that it be issued more then 6 months before the date of entry. If you have one expire while you are out of the US, it can cause problems leaving a foreign country and traveling anywhere else. You may also have problems trying to reenter into the US as well.
Mail is one option you have to renew your passport. There are criteria to meet, and if you can do so this can be quick and easy for you to get a current passport. You must have your passport included with your paperwork, and it must be undamaged and in your current name. It also has to have been issued in the last 15 years, and after you were 16 years of age.
If you fail to meet any of the above criteria, then you must go to an agency and apply in person. You also have to go if this is your first passport, or the one you have was issued before your 16th birthday. If you are unable to obtain your passport, or it is damaged, you will have to apply in person, too.
If you do mail your application, then you need to make sure you include your passport in the envelope. You should make sure that the package is protected from the elements since they will not accept any damage to it at all and that you have a way of tracing it through the mail. You also must send this from the US ands have a return one in the States or Canada.
If you find that you have to go to the agency, then make sure that you fill out the correct form, and have all of the identification the require with you. It can include a birth certificate and your social security card as well as other forms. Do not sign them until instructed to do so during your meeting.
You must pay all the fees at the time of your application, whether you mail it or go in person. If mailed, payment must be included with the passport and paperwork, and they must be paid before you are interviewed at a facility. The fees, location of facilities, forms that must be filled out and the address to mail them are located at the government website.
Emergency help is available while you are abroad through the consulate, and they can assist you if your Pass Port has expired while traveling. You may also want to contact the regional agency if you have a need to travel in 2 weeks or a foreign visa within 4. Time is of the essence in emergency situations and American passport renewal needs to be addressed promptly.
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