What is the process for renewing a U.S. passport?

To renew a passport via mail as of 2015, fill out Form DS-82: Application for a U.S. Passport by Mail. Additionally, include your most recent U.S. passport, the $25 applications fee, a passport photo and any legal documentation if your last name has changed.

You can only renew a passport by email if your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 years or older, your most recent passport was issued within the last 15 years, your most recent passport was issued in your current legal name and your original passport is undamaged. If these criteria are not met, you must apply for a reissue in person. If your name has changed since your passport was first issued, you must provide the original or certified copy of your marriage certificate or the government-issued document that evidences your legal name change.

You can request a passport renewal even if your current passport has not yet expired, and an applicant's old passports are mailed back to them. The routine processing time for a passport renewal is four to six weeks. Applicants can reduce the passport renewal processing time to three weeks by following the expedited procedure. Under some circumstances, applicants can reduce the renewal process to eight business days, but this requires prior approval.