Renewing Your Passport Online vs by Mail With Form DS-82

Both online renewal and mail renewal with Form DS-82 lead to the same passport at the same application fee. The differences are in who can use each one, how you pay, what kind of photo you submit, whether you can speed things up, and what happens to your old passport. This comparison uses the State Department's pages and the current DS-82 instructions, checked on October 7, 2026.

Side-by-side comparison

Fees are as listed by the State Department on October 7, 2026. Neither method charges the $35 acceptance fee that in-person applicants pay.

Who should renew online

Online is the better choice when you meet every requirement and are not in a hurry. It is faster to submit, you never handle a check or envelope, and you keep your old passport as a record of your citizenship. It suits you if:

• You are 25 or older and your passport expires in the next 12 months, or expired less than 5 years ago.
• Your trip is more than 6 weeks away, ideally much more.
• Your name and sex will stay the same.
• You can produce a good digital photo.

Check each condition with our online renewal eligibility checklist, then follow how to renew your passport online.

Who should renew by mail

Mail renewal covers more situations. Choose it if:

• You need speed. Only mail lets you pay the $60 expedite fee at the time you apply. Write "EXPEDITE" on the envelope and use the expedite address. See expedited passport renewal.
• Your name changed. Include a certified copy of the legal document. Our guide to renewing with a name change explains when Form DS-5504 is better.
• Your passport has more than a year left. Online renewal will not accept it, but mail renewal can, as long as the passport was issued within 15 years.
• You are 16 to 24. If your 10-year passport was issued when you were 16 or older, you can renew by mail.
• You want to switch documents. Only have a card and want just a book, or only have a book and want just a card? That is a mail renewal.

The photo difference: digital file vs printed 2 x 2

Both routes use the same rules for what the photo shows: a recent color photo from the last 6 months, plain white or off-white background, full face toward the camera, eyes open, no glasses, no hat except religious or medical head coverings with the right statement, and no filters or edits. What changes is the format.

Online: a digital file

You upload a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 KB and 10 MB. The upload tool lets you crop and checks the basics. You may not scan a printed photo or photograph a print to create the file. A clean original from a phone or camera is what the State Department wants.

Mail: one printed photo

The DS-82 instructions ask for one color photo, 2 x 2 inches, with the head 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Staple it to the form with four staples placed vertically in the corners, as close to the edges as possible, and do not bend it. Our guide to printing a 2 x 2 passport photo shows how to get the size right.

Whichever route you pick, a rejected photo puts your application on hold until you send a new one. The State Department gives you 90 days to respond to its letter or email, and your processing time grows while you wait.

One more difference: with the printed photo, you control the print quality. With the digital file, you control the original. In both cases, a photo taken by someone else, in even daylight, in front of a plain white wall, is the most reliable starting point.

Processing, tracking and your old passport

Processing time

As of October 7, 2026, the State Department lists routine processing at 4 to 6 weeks and expedited at 2 to 3 weeks. Those numbers do not include mailing. For mail renewals, it may take up to 2 weeks for your application to arrive and another 2 weeks for your passport to reach you. Online removes the first leg, because nothing travels by mail on the way in.

Tracking

Online applicants get email updates when the application is in process, approved and mailed. Mail applicants get the same if they list an email on the form, and can also use the online status tool. For mail renewals, it can take up to 2 weeks after mailing before the first "In Process" status appears.

Your old passport

Online, you keep your old passport, but it is cancelled when you submit. By mail, you send it in and it comes back separately, which the State Department says may take up to 4 weeks after your new passport arrives.

A quick decision guide

Use this table to match your situation to the route the State Department's rules point you toward. If two rows apply, the stricter one wins: for example, a recent name change plus a trip in four weeks still means mail, with expedited service.

Still unsure? Compare costs in passport renewal fees, and check your photo with the free passport photo checker before you submit either way.