Shockingly, the government website for renewing a passport is really good. So, in order to save time, check out that website with any questions that you may have. I'll just cover the basics in this post.
I got my passport when I was 16 and had an obnoxiously flow-y signature. Because I am applying to TEFL positions, I wanted to have a passport that had an up-to-date picture and my current legal signature. You can renew your passport before the allotted 10-year expiration date at any time. The process is rather simple and surprisingly not as expensive as I had originally thought. For a passport, it is $110 to renew ($140 if you are doing the passport book and card). The process takes 5-6 weeks. The expedition fee is $60. In addition, if you want the passport overnighted to you, that is an additional $14.85.
I know that sounds like a lot of money, but if you think about it, it really isn't compared to other countries. So, for me to renew my passport (and request the larger 52-page book at no extra cost), have it expedited, and have it overnighted to me is a total of $184.85 (plus $5.70 for the shipping fee to D.C.).
The process is simple. You get onto the U.S. Passports and International Travel website and go to the renew section. There are requirements listed for renewal and if you do not meet all of them, then you will have to do your application in person at a local post office. If you meet all of the requirements, you have one of two options. You can either fill out the form online and print it, or you can print out the form and fill it out by hand. I used the online option, which generates the form for you (which requires that you have Adobe Reader or another PDF software program). The only issue I had was with my mailing address. My hometown name is rather long, so it wasn't accepting the last letter. I still printed the form to Adobe Acrobat and using the TouchUp Text tool, added the last letter. No big deal.
Done. All you need then is your passport picture, which is a bit of a joke. When I was living in England, I was able to go the bus station where they had passport picture booths. It was 5 pictures for 5 quid. Here in Colorado, it is $12-16 for 2 pictures (to have them professionally done). Walmart does offer an option that you can print passport size photos that you take yourself, but you do run the risk of having your application rejected. The government is very specific about the pictures: no shadows on the face, nothing blocking a full view of your face, and so forth. It is better to dish out a bit extra and get them done right so you only have to do it once.
And that is it. In 3 weeks, I will have a new passport!
I'm looking forward to filling it to the brim with stamps.
I got my passport when I was 16 and had an obnoxiously flow-y signature. Because I am applying to TEFL positions, I wanted to have a passport that had an up-to-date picture and my current legal signature. You can renew your passport before the allotted 10-year expiration date at any time. The process is rather simple and surprisingly not as expensive as I had originally thought. For a passport, it is $110 to renew ($140 if you are doing the passport book and card). The process takes 5-6 weeks. The expedition fee is $60. In addition, if you want the passport overnighted to you, that is an additional $14.85.
I know that sounds like a lot of money, but if you think about it, it really isn't compared to other countries. So, for me to renew my passport (and request the larger 52-page book at no extra cost), have it expedited, and have it overnighted to me is a total of $184.85 (plus $5.70 for the shipping fee to D.C.).
The process is simple. You get onto the U.S. Passports and International Travel website and go to the renew section. There are requirements listed for renewal and if you do not meet all of them, then you will have to do your application in person at a local post office. If you meet all of the requirements, you have one of two options. You can either fill out the form online and print it, or you can print out the form and fill it out by hand. I used the online option, which generates the form for you (which requires that you have Adobe Reader or another PDF software program). The only issue I had was with my mailing address. My hometown name is rather long, so it wasn't accepting the last letter. I still printed the form to Adobe Acrobat and using the TouchUp Text tool, added the last letter. No big deal.
Done. All you need then is your passport picture, which is a bit of a joke. When I was living in England, I was able to go the bus station where they had passport picture booths. It was 5 pictures for 5 quid. Here in Colorado, it is $12-16 for 2 pictures (to have them professionally done). Walmart does offer an option that you can print passport size photos that you take yourself, but you do run the risk of having your application rejected. The government is very specific about the pictures: no shadows on the face, nothing blocking a full view of your face, and so forth. It is better to dish out a bit extra and get them done right so you only have to do it once.
And that is it. In 3 weeks, I will have a new passport!
I'm looking forward to filling it to the brim with stamps.
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