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Passport Renewal: the full process, step by step

This pack covers both passports our users actually hold: the United States passport (Form DS-82) and the Israeli passport (renewal through gov.il). Answer the interview once and your answers are ready for whichever one you are renewing.

The US renewal is a mail-in form. The Israeli renewal is mostly online. This guide walks both, plus what to do if you hold both passports and want to renew them together.

First, make sure you are renewing and not applying fresh. DS-82 works only if your last US passport is undamaged, was issued when you were 16 or older, was issued within the last 15 years, and is in your current name or you can prove the change. Anything else means a new application (DS-11), which this pack does not cover yet.

Before you start

  • Your most recent passport book in your hand, even if it expired. You must mail it in.
  • A check that you are eligible to renew: undamaged, issued at 16 or older, issued within the last 15 years, current name or proof of change.
  • One new passport photo: 2x2 inches, color, white background, no glasses. Any drugstore or shipping store takes them.
  • If your name changed: the original or certified document that proves it, like a marriage certificate or court order.
  • For the Israeli renewal: your teudat zehut and your old Israeli passport.
  1. 1

    Create your free account

    Click the sign-up button and enter your email. We send you a magic link. Click it and you are in.

    There is no password to remember and nothing to install. Everything runs in your browser.

  2. 2

    Fill your profile once

    Your profile holds the basics every government form asks for: your name, date of birth, addresses, phone, and immigration details if you have them.

    You only enter this once. Every form you buy later reuses it, so a form that takes an hour by hand takes minutes here.

    Sensitive items like your Social Security number are encrypted and only used inside the form you are working on.

  3. 3

    Answer the interview in your language

    Instead of the confusing government form, you get simple questions in English, Spanish, Chinese, or Hebrew. Pick your language at the top of the page.

    Each question explains what it means and where to find the answer on your documents. If you are not sure about something, the help text tells you exactly what to do.

    Most questions are already answered from your profile. You only confirm or fix them.

  4. 4

    Check the free watermarked preview

    Before you pay anything, we place your answers on the official form and show you every page with a watermark on top.

    Read it like a proof. Check every name, date, and address. If something is wrong, go back and fix it for free. You pay only when it looks right.

  5. 5

    Pay once, no subscription

    Payment runs through Stripe, the same processor big stores use. We never see or keep your card number.

    The price on the page is the whole price. There is no subscription, no per-month charge, and no upsell after.

    This payment is for our service. The government has its own filing fee, which you pay separately when you file. The guide lists it for every form below.

  6. 6

    Download, print, and sign

    Right after payment, your finished form appears in Documents. Download the PDF as many times as you want, forever.

    Print it on plain white letter paper, single sided. Do not shrink it to fit.

    Now the part only you can do: sign and date every signature box in black ink, exactly like the name printed under it. Government forms reject digital signatures and blue ink is sometimes rejected too.

  7. 7

    File it with the government

    WhyFill prepares your paperwork but never files it for you. Filing is always you, and it is easier than it sounds.

    Every form below has its own card: where to send it, how much the government charges, what to include in the envelope, and how to track it after.

    If the form offers online filing, you can upload or copy your answers there instead. The Prep Sheet and the filled PDF both work for that.

Filing it with the government

The US renewal (DS-82 by mail, or online)

Where to file
  • By mail, routine service: National Passport Processing Center, PO Box 90155, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155.
  • By mail, expedited service: PO Box 90955, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955.
  • Many people can now renew online at travel.state.gov instead. Your Prep Sheet has every answer ready to copy into the online flow.
  • Use an envelope that keeps the passport book flat, and consider tracking. You are mailing your actual passport.
Government fee
$130 for the book, $30 for the card, $160 for both, paid to the U.S. Department of State. Expedited adds about $60, and 1 to 2 day return delivery adds about $20.
How to pay
Check or money order made out to U.S. Department of State, with your full name and date of birth written on the memo line. Never send cash.
Photos
One recent color photo, 2x2 inches, white background, no glasses. Attach it loosely to the form, never stapled through the photo.
What to include
  • The signed DS-82 form (black ink, dated).
  • Your most recent passport book. It comes back canceled in a separate envelope.
  • One passport photo.
  • The check or money order for the fee.
  • If your name changed: the original or certified document that proves it.
How long it takes
Routine is typically 6 to 8 weeks from the day they get your envelope. Expedited is typically 2 to 3 weeks plus mailing time. Check the current estimate at travel.state.gov before you count on a date.
How to track it
  • Track the application at travel.state.gov with your last name and date of birth.
  • Your old passport arrives back canceled, usually a few days before or after the new book arrives.

The Israeli renewal (through gov.il)

Where to file
  • Start at gov.il and search for passport renewal (חידוש דרכון). The application runs on the government's own site.
  • If your details are unchanged and your biometric data is current, the whole renewal can finish online and the new passport arrives by registered mail.
  • If anything changed (name, face, lost biometric data), the site routes you to book an appointment at the Ministry of Interior (Misrad HaPnim) near you.
  • To the appointment you bring your old passport and your teudat zehut. The photo is taken at the office, so you do not need to bring one.
Government fee
There is a government fee, with a discount for applying online. Prices change, so check the current amount on the gov.il page before you pay.
How to pay
Credit or debit card on the gov.il payment page.
Photos
None needed for the online flow. If you end up at an appointment, they take the photo at the office.
What to include
  • For the online flow: your old passport number and your teudat zehut number.
  • For an appointment: the old passport, the teudat zehut, and the confirmation the scheduler gave you.
  • For a name change: the certificate or court document, translated if it is not in Hebrew.
How long it takes
Typically a few weeks by registered mail after the application is accepted. If you have travel planned, apply early. The Ministry does not offer a same-week service.
How to track it
  • The gov.il application shows its status in your account on the same site.
  • The registered mail letter tells you when to expect the envelope, and the post office notifies you if it goes to a pickup point.

The mistakes that come back

  • Mailing the form without the old passport. The envelope needs both, or the whole package comes back.
  • Stapling the photo. Attach it loosely so the machine can scan it.
  • Renewing too close to a trip. Many countries want 6 months of validity left, so count from your return date, not your departure.
  • Forgetting to sign. An unsigned DS-82 is the number one reason packages come back unopened.
  • Waiting for the old book before booking flights. Ticket names must match the passport you will travel on, so wait for the new one before you buy.

That is the whole process: answer once, preview free, pay, print or copy, sign, mail or click, track. Whether you carry a blue passport, a dark red one, or both, the renewal is a week of small steps, not a mystery.

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