Routine Passport Renewal for Applicants Aged 18 And Over

You may apply for your passport by following the instructions on this page if:

• You are at least 18 years old at the time of application; and



• our most recent passport was issued when you were 16 years of age or older; and



• Your most recent passport was issued within the last 15 years; and



• Your most recent passport was not limited, i.e. it was issued for its full five- or ten-year validity (see note below for exceptions to this requirement); and



• You are able to submit the passport with this application; and



• You are not requesting a change in the passport data, other than a name change due to marriage or a court order.

If the above criteria are not met, please follow this link for instructions for replacing a lost/stolen passport, follow this link for instructions for changes of name by means other than marriage, or follow this link for instructions for all other passport renewals.

Note: If you have an emergency limited-validity passport issued at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate outside the United States that is now expired, you may renew your passport using these instructions, provided you meet all other criteria above. If your emergency passport has not yet expired, please follow this link for full instructions.

Application Requirements

Please submit the following by Royal Mail Special Delivery or via the Embassy's appointed courier service:

• Your most recent United States passport: This passport will be cancelled and returned to you with your new passport;



• Evidence of change of name by marriage: If you have changed your name by marriage since the last passport was issued, please provide your original marriage certificate. If you have changed your name by any other means please follow this link.



• Passport application form DS-82: Please ignore pages one and two of the printed instruction pages, as they do not apply when applying for your passport in the United Kingdom. Follow the instructions on this page. Form DS-82 must be printed on separate sheets of paper; do NOT print this form on front and back of the same sheet. If you experience trouble with the Passport Application Wizard, click here for Form DS-82 [PDF]. For tips on completing the DS-82 [PDF], please follow this link ;



• Two identical passport photographs: The Embassy will reject any photographs that do not meet the specified requirements. Vending machine photographs and photographs printed on a home computer are unacceptable;



• Foreign naturalization certificate: If you have naturalized as a citizen of a foreign country since your last passport was issued, please provide a photocopy of your foreign naturalization certificate and a statement regarding your intentions when you naturalized (i.e. whether or not it was your intention to relinquish your U.S. citizenship when you naturalized as a foreign citizen);



• Fees: The application fee is U.S. $75.00. Payment options are as follows:
• Credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club using the CC Payment form from our forms page;
• International Money Order to the exact U.S. dollar amount made payable to the "United States Disbursing Officer;" or
• Banker's Draft drawn in U.S. dollars only on a bank in the United States made payable to the "United States Disbursing Officer.;" or

Money Orders and Banker's Drafts must have been issued within the last five months. If you are enclosing more than one application, you should send only one money order or credit card payment form (CC Payment Form) which is available on our forms page.

Note: The Embassy is not authorized to accept personal checks. We will not accept cash by mail/courier nor overpayment.

Applying by Royal Mail Special Delivery

Please submit your passport application, along with all supporting documents and photos, only by using the Royal Mail "Special Delivery" service (available at any UK Post Office). Please do not use the regular mail service. Your envelope should be addressed to:

Passport-by-Mail Service
American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy
5 Upper Grosvenor Street
London, W1A 2LQ

To ensure the safe return of your passports, you should also enclose a pre-paid Special Delivery self-addressed return envelope that shows postage paid up to 500 grams. Inquiries regarding Special Delivery Mail should be directed to your local Post Office. As the Embassy does not keep track of Special Delivery numbers, you are advised to keep a record of your Special Delivery tracking number so you can track your passport's return to you.

Applying via Secure Mail Services (SMS)

SMS will collect your documents, deliver them to the Embassy, and return them to you once processing has been completed. Detailed information on SMS services and booking is available by calling 0870-950-1760.

Processing Time

An application for a full-validity (ten years for adults) passport will be sent to the United States for printing with a secure, photo-digitized image of the bearer. You should allow 15 working days for your application to be processed.

If you are traveling within 15 working days and can provide evidence of this travel, you may be eligible for an emergency limited-validity passport. Follow this link for further information.

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