By Pedro Bianco
En esta noticia
Many Americans assume passport renewal is something that can always be done by mail, without leaving home. But the State Department sets a number of conditions for this simplified renewal, and one of them has to do with the age when the document was issued: if the most recent passport was processed before its holder turned 16, it is not eligible for mail renewal and requires the person to apply in person.
United States blocks standard passport renewals for these citizens
Mail renewal is done with Form DS-82 and is the most convenient and common option, because it lets applicants mail in the expired passport along with the required documents without appearing in person. But not everyone can use it. One requirement is that the passport being renewed must have been issued when the holder was 16 or older. If the document was processed before that age, meaning while the holder was a minor, it cannot be renewed by mail, even if the person is now an adult.
What matters is not the holder’s current age, but how old they were when that passport was issued. An adult whose only or most recent passport was obtained as a child cannot use Form DS-82; they must apply for a new one in person, as if they were a first-time applicant.
How to renew a passport in this case
When a passport does not qualify for mail renewal, the application must be filed in person with Form DS-11, the same form used by people applying for a passport for the first time. In general, the process involves:
- Fill out Form DS-11 (do not sign it until instructed to do so by the official).
- Appear at a passport acceptance facility: many post offices (USPS), libraries or courthouses serve as such, or at a passport agency, usually by appointment.
- Bring proof of U.S. citizenship (for example, a birth certificate or the previous passport), a photo ID and a photocopy of it.
- Provide a recent photo that meets official requirements.
- Pay the applicable fees for the application.