Reasons and Causes of Passport Renewal
Renewing a passport can stem from plenty of different reasons and can be completed with relative ease to government and the people. Passport renewal can be completed over the Internet, by mail, or in person at a government passport office. Passports will expire over time and to leave the country, everyone must obtain a current, valid version of the document.
Attempting to renew a passport via the mail has set requirements that must be followed. The mail option is only open to people who reside in the United States or Canada. Citizens living abroad will have to follow different guidelines. When using the mail, the passport being renewed must be undamaged. A person must also have the same name and have been 16 or older from the date the original was issued.
Expiration of a valid passport occurs ten years from the date of issue. When renewing a passport at anytime, before or after expiration, a sixty dollar renewal fee will be accessed for processing and mailing costs. However, someone wishing to revalidate a passport must do so within fifteen years or they will be forced to get a completely new passport which will cost much more the renewal fees.
Use of the Internet and filling out forms online is now an option for those trying to renew their passports. Once again, this can only happen if the citizen resides in the United States, Canada, or U.S. territories. While abroad for any reason, a citizen must go to the U.S. consulate in that country to renew a passport. For security reasons, the renewed passport can only be mailed to foreign embassies.
The government can also speed up the renewal processing of a passport for a variety of different reasons. A major cause for quicker renewal is in life or death situations while abroad. In other cases, like needing a renewed passport to work abroad or simply travel, obtaining a new passport can be processed faster with fees attached for timely delivery.
A form named “the DS-82 application for a U.S. passport” is one major requirement in any situation for passport renewal. All information on this document must be filled out with complete honesty. Falsifying a government form as important as a passport with shoddy information can be grounds for serious penalties. Address change is an example of an excuse to renew a passport before expiration.
Another reason for passport renewal before expiration is if the passport is damaged or mutilated in any way. These documents must be kept in a clean, orderly fashion, because damaged passports are invalid. Invalid, damaged passports must be renewed before attempting to travel abroad. To renew a damaged passport, a person will be forced to go the passport agency in person and file for renewal.