Find out if you can renew your passport with the mail-in service. You must satisfy all of these requirements: you received the passport when you were 16 years of age or older and no more than 15 years ago, you have the same name now as when you received the passport or you can show legal documentation if your name has changed since, and your passport is intact and undamaged.
Obtain and complete Form DS-82, the Application for a U.S. Passport by Mail. You can either download the form first from the Department of State website and fill it out manually, or you can complete the form online and print it out afterwards. Sign and date the application on the first page of the form.
Locate the following supporting documents to be submitted with your application: your U.S. Passport--expired or unexpired-- two passport photos, passport fee and legal documentation such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order if your name has changed since your last passport.
Mail everything to:
National Passport Processing Center
Post Office Box 90155
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155
Passport service recommends using a traceable delivery method and mailing the materials in a padded envelope.
Make sure that you are not eligible to use the mail-in service. Applying in person is recommended only for those who do not meet the mail-in requirements.
Obtain and complete Form DS-11, the Application for a U.S. Passport, from the website of the Department of State. Print out the form and complete it by hand or fill out the form online first and then print out the completed application.
Prepare supporting documents and information; you'll need evidence of your U.S. citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate, photo identification such as a driver's license or old passport, photocopies of your photo I.D., two passport photos and your social security number.
Prepare processing fees. The State Department website offers updates of current in-person application fees and acceptable forms of payment.
Locate the closest passport acceptance facility to you and bring your application, documentation and fees there. See the U.S. Passport Service Guide for a list of Pennsylvania acceptance facilities. Or, you can use the U.S. Department of State's facility locator.
