Lesson 10 of 10 beginner

How to Apply for a Passport Online (and When You Must Apply in Person)

Who can renew online, who must use Form DS-11 in person, the fees, the photo rules and the mistake that cancels your old passport

Guess first

Pick an answer. You will see if you were right at the end of the lesson.

Who must apply in person with Form DS-11?

Open interactive version (quiz + challenge)

Real-world analogy

Getting a passport is like getting a library card. Renewing an old card can be done from home — the library already knows you. Getting your very first card means walking in with proof of who you are, so a person can look at you and your documents together. The US passport system works the same way: renewal can often be online, but a first passport needs you in the room.

What is it?

In the United States you can apply for a passport in one of three ways, and which one you must use depends on your situation. Eligible adults can renew a passport book or card online through the State Department's Online Passport Renewal service, paying by card and uploading a digital photo. Others renew by mail with Form DS-82. Anyone getting a first passport, anyone under 16, and anyone whose last passport was issued more than 15 years ago, issued before age 16, or lost, stolen or damaged must apply in person with Form DS-11, “Application for a U.S. Passport”, at an acceptance facility such as many post offices, libraries and county clerk offices, bringing proof of citizenship and photo ID. You can fill in the DS-11 online, but you must print it and sign it in front of the acceptance agent — so a first passport cannot be completed entirely online.

Real-world relevance

Choosing the right route avoids weeks of delay. Among the conditions the State Department lists for online renewal: your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, it was issued within the last 15 years, you have it and it is undamaged, you live in the United States, and you are not changing personal information such as your name. Once you submit an online renewal, your current passport is cancelled and can no longer be used for travel, so do not apply online days before a trip. At the time of writing, the State Department fee for an adult passport book is $130 whether you renew or apply new; first-time and DS-11 applicants also pay a separate $35 acceptance fee to the facility, and expedited service adds $60. Adult passports are valid for 10 years; passports for children under 16 are valid for 5.

Key points

Check online-renewal eligibility first — Your last passport was issued at age 16 or older, within the last 15 years, is in your possession and undamaged, you live in the US, and your personal details are not changing. If any of these fail, use Form DS-82 by mail or Form DS-11 in person as directed.
First passports require DS-11 in person — First-time applicants, children under 16, and people whose previous passport was issued more than 15 years ago or before age 16, or was lost, stolen or damaged, apply in person at an acceptance facility with Form DS-11.
What to bring for DS-11 — The unsigned completed form, original proof of US citizenship (such as a US birth certificate) plus a photocopy, a valid photo ID plus a photocopy, one passport photo, and two separate payments: the application fee to the State Department and the acceptance fee to the facility.
⚠️ Common misconception: 'apply for passport online' works for a first passport — You can complete the DS-11 using the online form filler, but you must print it, bring it unsigned, and sign it in front of an acceptance agent. There is no fully online route for a first passport.
Submitting online cancels your old passport — When you submit an online renewal, your current passport is cancelled and cannot be used for travel. If you have international travel coming up soon, pick a route and processing speed that fits the date.
Photo rules reject many applications — Use a recent colour photo with a plain white or off-white background, neutral expression and both eyes open. Glasses are not allowed in passport photos (a rule in force since 1 November 2016) unless you have a signed medical statement.
Book, card, or both — The passport book works for all international travel. The cheaper passport card is valid only for land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda — not international flights.
Track the application — Use the State Department's online status tool once your application is received. Processing times change through the year; check the published routine and expedited times on travel.state.gov before choosing.

Quick check

Answer from memory — scrolling up first makes it stick less.

What happens to your current passport when you submit an online renewal?

A first-time adult applicant for a passport book pays the $130 application fee plus what?

Code example

WHICH PASSPORT ROUTE? (CHECK IN ORDER)
=====================================
Ever had a US passport?
  NO  -> DS-11 in person
Under 16 now?
  YES -> DS-11 in person (both parents
         or guardians generally required)
Last passport issued before age 16,
more than 15 years ago, or lost,
stolen or damaged?
  YES -> DS-11 in person
Live in the US, have the passport,
no change to name or other details?
  YES -> online renewal (or DS-82 by mail)
  NO  -> DS-82 by mail with documents,
         or as travel.state.gov directs

FEES AT THE TIME OF WRITING (confirm first)
  Adult book, renewal (online/DS-82)  $130
  Adult book, first time (DS-11)      $130
    + acceptance fee to facility       $35
  Adult card, renewal                  $30
  Child book (under 16, DS-11)        $100
    + acceptance fee                   $35
  Expedited service, optional         + $60

VALIDITY: adults 10 years | under 16: 5 years

Line-by-line walkthrough

1. STEP 1 — FIND YOUR ROUTE. Answer the questions in order: first passport, under 16, old passport issued before 16 or more than 15 years ago or lost, then online-renewal conditions. Stop at the first rule that applies.
2. STEP 2 — CHECK YOUR TRAVEL DATE. Look up current routine and expedited processing times on travel.state.gov. If you are renewing online, remember your old passport is cancelled the moment you submit.
3. STEP 3 — GET A COMPLIANT PHOTO. Plain white or off-white background, no glasses, neutral expression, taken recently. For online renewal you need a digital photo that meets the upload requirements.
4. STEP 4 — ONLINE RENEWAL: SIGN IN, FILL IN, UPLOAD, PAY. Use the State Department's Online Passport Renewal service, enter the details from your current passport, upload the photo and pay by card. Save the confirmation.
5. STEP 5 — DS-11: BOOK AN ACCEPTANCE APPOINTMENT. Complete the form with the online filler, print it, and do not sign it. Bring original citizenship proof and ID with photocopies, the photo and two separate payments.
6. STEP 6 — TRACK AND RECEIVE. Check the online status tool. Your new passport and any returned citizenship documents may arrive in separate mailings — keep an eye out for both.

Spot the bug

Traveller's plan: 'My passport was issued when I was 14 and it's only seven years old, so I'll renew it online tonight — my flight is next week and I'll use the old one if the new one is late. I'll wear my glasses in the photo since I always wear them.'

Need a hint?

Check the age-at-issue rule, what happens to the old passport, and the photo rule.

Show answer

FIRST, a passport issued before age 16 cannot be renewed online or by mail — the traveller must apply in person with Form DS-11. SECOND, even for someone who is eligible, submitting an online renewal cancels the current passport, so it cannot be used for next week's flight; with travel that close, the traveller needs expedited service through the right in-person route. THIRD, glasses are not allowed in passport photos (since 1 November 2016) unless there is a signed medical statement. Fix all three before applying, or the application will be delayed or the trip lost.

Explain like I'm 5

A passport is the little book that lets you travel to other countries and come home. If you already have a grown-up passport, you can often renew it from your computer. If it is your very first one, you must go to a special office, like some post offices, with your birth certificate so a person can check it is really you. And no glasses in the photo!

Fun fact

The US passport card was introduced in 2008 as a cheaper, wallet-sized option for people who mostly travel by land or sea to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It fits the same card slots as a driver's licence but cannot be used to board an international flight.

Hands-on challenge

Find your current passport (or note that you have none) and run the route check in this lesson's worked example. Write down which form you need, your passport's issue and expiry dates, the documents you must gather, and today's published processing time on travel.state.gov. If you plan to travel in the next year, set a reminder to apply at least as far ahead as the routine processing time plus a safety margin.

More resources

Renew my passport online (U.S. Department of State)
Passport fees (U.S. Department of State)
Apply in person (U.S. Department of State)

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