How to Renew a Passport in New Jersey
Anyone intending to travel abroad must possess a valid passport to leave and enter the United States. For New Jersey residents who hold a current passport, renewing a passport requires proper identifications, forms and fees. While most New Jersey residents can complete passport renewals through the mail, in some instances like loss or theft of passport, or if the passport has expired, the renewal must be done in person.
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Instructions
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Obtain the DS-82 form either online at the U.S. Department of State website or at a local New Jersey passport acceptance center or agency. You can renew your passport by mail if you have an unexpired, undamaged passport and no name change. Also, the passport must have been issued after your 16th birthday and within the last 15 years. Apply in person at the nearest passport acceptance center if you do not meet all the eligibility requirements. Completely fill out the DS-82 form using a black-ink pen and enter all the information correctly.
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Sign and date the DS-82 form and include: your most recent passport, two passport photos, fees and a marriage certificate or court order if you have recently changed your name. Put all of the documents it in a secure envelope. The passport agency recommends a Tyvek envelope, which is a water resistant packaging made of polyethylene that is difficult to tear. Mail the envelope. Use a traceable delivery method like delivery confirmation or signature delivery confirmation at your local post office. Processing a passport renewal takes approximately four to six weeks.
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Go to the nearest passport acceptance facility or agency in New Jersey if you have to apply in person. Find out if the facility offers passport photos on site. If not, get two acceptable passport photos from places that offer passport photo services. Make sure the photos meet the passport photo guidelines which must be identical, 2-by-2 and on either on white or off-white background. Fill out the DS-11 form but do not sign the form until instructed to do so by a passport agent.
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Present proof a U.S. citizenship to the passport agent. Proof of U.S. citizenship can be established with a undamaged passport, state-certified birth certificate, Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, according to Bergen County Court Office. The passport agency also requires another identification such as a state-issued ID, valid driver's license and military ID. Pay the applicable fee and provide the two acceptable passport photos along with all the required documents. Sign the DS-11 form in front of the acceptable passport agent when instructed to do so.
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Tips & Warnings
Expedite your passport renewal by paying the $60 expedite service fee by money order or check and include it with your forms. The passport agency recommends you also send it overnight mail or if you must renew in person; to pay the passport agency the expedited fees. Processing time for expedited service range from two to four weeks.
Federal law requires all minor children to apply in person with either both parents present or with a notarized letter signed by the absent parent giving permission to obtain a passport. A birth certificate with both parents' names must also be given even for passport renewals for children under the age of 15, according to Bergen County Court Office.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit us passport image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
