How Long it Takes to Renew Your Passport: Online or By Mail

When you're planning a trip abroad or retiring overseas, there are so many elements to consider — where is the dollar strong? How will you get around once you’re there? Is travel insurance worth it? Do you need to know any basic phrases in another language to get by?

Sometimes, it's easy to forget you need to consider one key point: How long it takes to renew your passport.

You don't want to waste dollars and miss out on the cost of your entire trip just because you were unable to get your passport back in time, so here's what you need to consider when renewing a passport for your trip.

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When you need to renew your passport

Woman holding airplane tickets and passport,

Passports expire after 10 years, so it's not a process you'll need to do particularly often.

You should keep in mind, however, that there are some countries that will not let you enter them if your passport is expiring within six months of your travel dates — so it's good practice to check your expiration date well before a planned trip.

If you are traveling with someone who got their passport before they turned 16, keep in mind their passport will only last five years before it expires.

How long it will take to renew your passport

Typical passport applications are processed in four to six weeks for routine services per the State Department.

If you opt to spend the money to expedite your passport (an additional $60 on top of the usual application costs), you will get it earlier, but it's still a wait, of two to three weeks.

Keep in mind, the State Department does not include mailing times in that estimate. It can take up to two weeks for it to receive an application in the mail, as well as up to two weeks for you to receive your finalized passport back in the mail.

If you want to avoid the stress of waiting or the extra fees associated with expediting your passport, we recommend applying for your passport as early as you can if it's near its expiration date or if it has been lost or damaged.

Can you renew your passport online?

To be eligible for an online renewal, you must be 25 years or older and have a passport that was valid for 10 years. That passport must be expiring within a year or have expired in the last five years.

You also must be able to pay with a credit or debit card and upload a digital passport photo. Eligibility also requires that you are not traveling internationally for at least six weeks. There are other requirements for eligibility, which you can see here.

However, while it's an easier process that may save you time in doing the admin work of printing and mailing forms, renewing your passport online still takes the same amount of processing time as does renewing by mail.

Processing time is six to eight weeks, which, again, does not include mailing times.

What to do if you need a new passport and you're traveling soon

Sometimes, life just happens and you're unable to get a passport in time for your trip. Don’t worry — you do have options.

If you don't have a viable passport and you're traveling abroad within two weeks, you can try to make an emergency appointment at a passport center. You'll have to call 1-877-487-2778 to schedule this appointment and bring proof of your imminent travel with you. Then, you'll be able to get a passport in time for your trip.

You can also use this service if a life-or-death emergency comes up and you need to travel internationally within 72 hours. Kiplinger digital managing editor Alexandra Svokos has used this process before, and while it works, she warns that it can mean spending a few hours at the passport center; consider it akin to going to the DMV.

Passport processing times can be daunting, so your best move to avoid anxiety or extra costs is to handle any passport needs while planning your travel. Still, it is possible to get a last-minute emergency passport, so don't worry too much if that ends up being your situation — you'll be relaxing on your vacation abroad soon enough.

Becca van Sambeck is a writer and editor with experience in many fields, including travel, entertainment, business, education, and lifestyle. Her work has appeared in outlets like NBC, Oxygen, Bravo, the University of Southern California, Elite Daily, CafeMom, Travel For Teens, and more. She currently resides in New York City.