Visit the U.S. Department of State website to fill in a form DS 82 if you are renewing an adult passport. Apply either online and submit your application electronically or print out a copy and fill it in by hand. Fill in a form DS 11 if you are applying for your first adult passport.
Fill in every applicable section of the passport application, including signing and dating the form. Include a passport-sized photograph stapled to your application in the designated box, a copy of your most recent U.S. passport and payment in the form of a check, mail order -- addressed to the U.S. Department of State -- or debit or credit card information. Include a court order or marriage certificate if the name your present name is different from the one on your existing passport. Include an additional payment for $60, as of July 2011, to pay for an expedited service.
Visit the post office to send your application. Place all of the relevant documents in a padded, sealed envelope and pay for a traceable overnight delivery. Mark the envelope "Expedited" in block capital letters and send it on to the U.S. Department of State.
Wait between two and three weeks for your application to be processed. Contact the U.S. National Passport Information Center to ask about your application if you have not received your passport within three weeks.
Speed up your application if you require a new passport for international travel within the next two weeks. Contact a regional passport agency or national passport information center by telephone to arrange an appointment.
Fill out form DS 82 to renew your adult passport or form DS 11 to apply for your first adult passport and take it to your meeting at the passport agency -- do not mail it.
Attend your meeting and provide the U.S. Department of State staffer with any documents that demonstrate your travel itinerary, such as hard copies of your flights and accommodation, if you have any booked.
Pay all of the necessary fees, including $60 charge, as of July 2011, for the expedited passport service. Receive your renewed or new U.S. passport and continue your travel arrangements.
