If your passport is damaged, if you were younger than 16 when you received it or if you can't provide legal proof of a name change, you must renew at the post office. The State Department requires that you fill out a DS-11 application. Fill it out with a black ballpoint pen. If the above criteria don't apply to you, you can renew a passport by mail.
In addition to the application, bring an original birth certificate, driver's license (as well as a photocopy) and two 2-by-2-inch photographs of yourself. National drugstores provide passport photo services at little cost.
The State Department provides a post office finder on its website. You also can renew your passport at a county clerk's office, which also can be found through the post office finder.
As of 2010, the application fee is $110. You also need to pay a processing fee of $25. These must be paid by personal check or bank check.
The State Department normally processes a passport application within four to six weeks.
