Adult Passport Renewal

Most passport renewals for adults do not require an in-person appearance. Please see below for details of eligibility, application requirements and where to send your application. In person appointments for this service are not available.

Emergency procedures and travel restrictions may change rapidly due to the impact of COVID-19. If you are currently in the United States or another country and your U.S. passport has expired or is due to expire imminently, you should renew your passport before you travel to the United Kingdom.

Please see our Passport and Citizenship FAQs for common questions about your U.S. passport.

Eligibility

You may renew by mail if all of the following applies:

Your passport is:

  • Undamaged;
  • Issued within the last 15 years;
  • Issued with a 10 year validity; and
  • Issued in your current name or you have changed your name and can submit legal documentation to prove this change.

Additional Requirements

  • Form DS-82 available online here or as a downloadable PDF (84 KB)
    You must print and sign the form
  • Your most recent U.S. passport
  • One passport photograph
  • $130.00 non-refundable application fee
  • Evidence of Change of Name – e.g. Marriage Certificate, Change of Name Deed, Statutory Declaration or Court Order
  • Return delivery envelope – pre-paid (up to 500g) self-addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope, or DX courier envelope

Important

For specific passport photograph, application fee and social security information please ensure you continue reading this page. Applications received without all required documents will face delays.

DO NOT mail your application to the United States as this will cause delays.

Photo Requirements

  • Color photograph
  • Taken in last 6 months
  • No eyeglasses (If you must wear eye glasses for medical reasons, you’ll need to submit a signed statement with your application from a medical professional)
  • 2 x 2 inches
  • For babies and small children, it is advisable to have someone take the photograph (photo booth photos may not be accepted)  Infants’ eyes are not required to be open

Please click here for more information regarding passport photograph requirements.

Fees

Fee amounts and exchange rates change periodically. Please check this web page for the latest fee before obtaining your payment and submitting your application.

There is no expedited service outside the United States.  Please do not include fees other than those stated on this page. Incorrect payment amounts and methods will not be accepted.


How much to pay

£111 (POUNDS STERLING) or $130 (U.S. DOLLARS)

There is an additional fee of £26 (POUND STERLING) or $30 (U.S. DOLLARS) for a passport card.

Acceptable payment methods by mail 

Please note these are the only acceptable methods of payment. We cannot accept personal checks.

  • Postal Money Order (in U.S. dollars or pounds sterling) in the exact amount made payable to the “U.S. Department of State.” The Postal Order can be either crossed or uncrossed.
  • Bank Draft (in U.S. dollars or pounds sterling) in the exact amount made payable to the “U.S. Department of State.”
  • Pay online using the U.S. government’s secure payment site.  Please note, this method can only be used for passport book applications. If you are applying for both a passport book and passport card, or only a passport card, you will need to use one of the two alternative payment options above. If you are paying online, you must print your payment confirmation page (which shows the transaction details) and staple it to the front of your application form in the top right-hand corner. Failure to include your payment confirmation page when submitting your application, will cause delays. Click here to pay online.

These are the only acceptable methods of payment. Please note we cannot accept personal checks.

If you paid online, you must print your payment confirmation page and staple it to the front of your application form in the top right-hand corner. If you do not include your payment confirmation page, your application will be delayed. 


Social Security Numbers

If you have been issued a social security number (SSN) you must provide it on your application for a U.S. passport. If the name on your social security record does not match the name on your passport application please make sure that you have completed question 9 on the form – ‘List all other names you have used’.

If you do not have a Social Security Number, you must submit a statement, signed and dated, that includes the phrase “I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the following is true and correct: I have never been issued a Social Security number by the Social Security Administration.”

If you are in the United Kingdom and require a new or replacement Social Security number card, you should contact the Federal Benefits Unit at the Embassy.

DO NOT mail your application to the United States.

All applications submitted by mail are processed at the U.S. Embassy in London.

You may send your application by Royal Mail Special Delivery to the following address:

United States Embassy
Passport & Citizenship Unit
33 Nine Elms Lane
London
SW11 7US

To ensure safe return of your new passport please enclose a pre-paid (up to 500grams), self-addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope. These prepaid envelopes can be purchased from any UK post office. If you are also applying for a passport card and would like to receive your passport before the passport card, please provide two envelopes at the time you submit your application.

Alternatively, you can arrange for your application to be delivered to the Embassy and your passport returned to you after processing, by the courier service, DX. Information on this service can be found at https://www.dxdelivery.com/consumer/dx-services-for-us-embassy#book-service

Processing time is approximately three weeks. 

Please do not track your application on https://passportstatus.state.gov/.  The tracking information is accurate for passport applicants in the United States only.  Once your application states it is mailed on this site, that means it has been mailed to the United Kingdom for the Embassy to complete final processing.  Please refer to our processing time above for passport applications made in the United Kingdom.

Please click here to find out how to request an emergency appointment if you have urgent need of travel.

If you need to apply for a passport and you have imminent confirmed travel (within the next three weeks), please email acsbelfast@state.gov explaining your circumstances for advice.

If you need to apply for a passport and you have imminent confirmed travel (within the next three weeks), please email Edinburgh-Info@state.gov explaining your circumstances for advice.