Once your passport has expired, it is automatically invalidated. What this means is you can no longer use your passport for travel to destinations where a US passport is required. You’ll therefore need to have your passport renewed. There are several ways of going about this. But for starters, let’s begin with how to renew your Expired Passport by mail.

If you’re after convenience, then applying for a passport renewal by mail is the option for you. The good thing about this is that you no longer need to go to the passport office just to submit the requirements for your passport renewal. With this option, you simply have to mail all the requirements, and you’ll just have to wait for the new passport, which will also arrive by mail.

However, not everyone can renew their passports by mail. First of all, you need to meet the requirements set for you to do this. Here’s your checklist on whether you can apply for a passport by mail: your passport should be in a good condition, it was issued when you were at least 16 years old, and it was issued no more than 15 years ago. Also, the passport must contain your legal name. Otherwise, you should at least be able to legally document your name change.

If any of the conditions do not apply to you, then you will be required to submit your passport application in person. Once again, you’ll need to apply in person if your passport was damaged or if it was issued more than 15 years ago, etc. Don’t worry about this though, as this is only a measure to ensure that the passport office is issuing the passports to the right people.

Passport renewal by mail applies to those in the US or to US citizens living in Canada. So if you are eligible to do this, simply download Form DS-82 online, and then complete it. You can either fill it in on your computer then print it out or print it out first then fill it in by hand. Once you have completed the form, you can then mail it to the passport office along with the other documents required.

What should you do if you are based outside of the US or Canada? Then you may not apply for a passport renewal by mail. Your option is to visit your nearest US Embassy or Consulate then have your Expired US Passport renewed there. They will assist you on how to do this. This is an important reminder, especially if you regularly take trips outside of the US or Canada.

Make sure you send your passport application by mail using a traceable method of delivery. That’s so you can keep track of your application until it arrives at the passport office, and get a confirmation when it does. In addition to that, place all of your documents in a secure envelope to protect it from the elements while it is being transported.

The process of renewing your Expired Passport will general take around four to six weeks. However, if you need to travel sooner than that, then you can choose the expedited passport option. You will then be able to receive your new passport in just two to three weeks time. That’s how you renew your expired passport.