Consular FAQS

You may renew your passport at any time before or after it expires. Read more...

Please see our instructions for renewal. Always check your passport expiration date well before you plan to travel in order to prevent delaying your travel plans.

No. Passports are not extendable.

Four reasons:

1. The passport is proof of American citizenship. Every American abroad should have valid proof of his/her citizenship at all times.
2. Life is unpredictable. You never know when you may need to travel suddenly to the United States. The last thing you need to do in an emergency is worry about getting to the Embassy to get your or your child's passport renewed. It is much better to do it when it is convenient for you.
3. A valid passport is required for many British administrative purposes and you do not want to get caught with an expired passport if you need to process an application for some benefit.
4. If you wait too long, adults cannot renew an expired passport by mail. You will have to apply in person and pay an extra fee.

Yes. In nearly all cases, your old passport will be cancelled and returned to you with the new one. If we are not able to return your old passport for any reason, we will discuss this with you at the time of application.

The U.S. Embassy does not have the authority to transfer visas or stamps issued by other countries. When you renew your passport, your old passport will be cancelled and returned to you with your new one; you should then contact the appropriate authority of the issuing country for further instruction. For information regarding the transfer of your status in the UK to your new passport, you should contact the UK Home Office at:

UK Border Agency
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon, CR9 2BY

Phone number: 0870 606 7766

Website: http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

No. You must apply in the country in which you are physically present. If you are in England or Wales, you must submit your application to this Embassy. If you are in Scotland, you may apply at the U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh or at the Embassy in London.

It depends on what kind of application you are submitting. Some applications require personal appearance, while others are best submitted by mail or courier. Please see the instructions for your specific passport service for more information.

In March 2004, regulatory changes resulted in nearly everyone being required to attend the Embassy in person for passport services. Our facilities and staff could not absorb these extra in-person applicants without changing procedures, and therefore we now strongly encourage all applicants who are eligible to apply by mail to do so. Our waiting room is crowded every day with Americans in distress who have lost their passports and need to fly immediately, any and every American child under 18 years old (most accompanied by both of their parents), and a variety of other applicants who are required by law to appear in person. We hope you can understand why this has limited our ability to accommodate all Americans in person.

Additionally, all full-validity U.S. passports are now printed in the U.S. due to technology changes. Therefore, only a very small handful of individuals--those with travel emergencies--receive temporary passports the day they visit the Embassy. All other applications take 15 working days to process--the same time it takes to process applications received by mail.

No. You can submit your application at the U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh. For more information, please visit their website.

No. All residents of England and Wales must submit their applications at the Embassy in London.

You should disregard the instructions on the passport forms as they refer specifically to passport applications processed in the United States. You should follow the instructions on this website.

No. You can provide one Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope for two applicants (up to four passports). Or, when you book with SMS, the price of your delivery will be adjusted according to the weight of additional passports (for more information, call 0870 950 1760).

The fees vary depending on the service you are applying for, and accepted payment methods will depend on whether you are applying in person or by mail. Please refer to the individual instructions for your specific passport service.

No. The Embassy is not authorized to accept personal checks.

If you are submitting your application in person, you may pay in British currency. The conversion rate changes from day to day, however, so we are unable to tell you exactly how much it will be.

If you are submitting your application by mail/courier, you should use our credit card payment form [PDF] (your card will be charged in U.S. dollars) or pay by banker's draft or international money order in U.S. dollars only. We are unable to accept cash by mail or courier.

No. If you are enclosing more than one application fee, you should send only one money order or credit card slip for the total amount.

No. You are required to furnish the originals or copies certified by the issuing authorities bearing the official's seal and signature. Photocopies certified by a Clerk of Court, Justice of the Peace, solicitor, or notary public are not acceptable.

No. We have already documented your name change, so you should simply fill out the application form for your new passport in your new name.

Written translations by an accredited translator are required for any documents not in English.

You may obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate from the state in which you were born. The National Center for Health Statistics maintains a list of states' contact information for this purpose.

If you were born abroad, your parents should have registered your birth at a U.S. Embassy or consulate and received a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Form FS-240. This form is acceptable legal proof of birth and U.S. citizenship. Records are kept at the Passport Correspondence Office in Washington, DC.

You may obtain a certified copy of these certificates from the state in which the event occurred. The National Center for Health Statistics maintains a list of states' contact information for this purpose.