DS-11 vs DS-82: Which Passport Form Do You Need?

Use Form DS-82 if you are 16 or older, your last passport was issued when you were 16 or older, it is less than 15 years old, and you still have the book in hand with your current legal name. Everyone else files Form DS-11 in person at an acceptance facility. Children under 16 always use DS-11. Lost, stolen, or badly damaged books also mean DS-11 plus Form DS-64, even when you have had a passport for decades.

The form choice sets your fee stack. DS-82 is a mail renewal with a $130 adult book fee and no $35 execution fee at the counter. DS-11 adds that $35 execution fee on top of the same $130 book charge for most adults. That $35 gap is the first reason people compare the adult renewal cost breakdown with the first-time adult cost breakdown before they print anything.

Quick comparison: DS-11 vs DS-82

Both forms request the same $130 adult passport book fee paid to the Department of State. The difference is how you submit and whether a clerk witnesses your signature. DS-11 requires an in-person visit. DS-82 goes through the mail when every eligibility box is checked. Neither form is faster by default. Posted processing in September 2026 is 6-8 weeks for routine service on both paths.

DS-11 also covers adults who want a passport card alone or a book plus card combo at the counter. DS-82 can add the $30 card in the same mailed packet when you check the right box and pay both fees. The card is optional on either form. It is not a substitute for the book on overseas flights.

When DS-82 mail renewal works

DS-82 is narrow on purpose. You need the physical passport book, not a photocopy. The book must be undamaged enough that a clerk could have accepted it. Your name on the application must match the book unless you can prove a legal name change with the right certificate.

Mail renewal also fails if your old book was issued before you turned 16. That rule catches plenty of people who got a child passport at 15 and assume renewal is automatic at 18. It is not. You are back on DS-11 with the execution fee, same as a true first-timer on the money side.

Documents DS-82 expects in the envelope

• Completed unsigned DS-82 (you sign after the photo)
• Your most recent passport book sent with the application
• One new passport photo that meets State Department rules
• Payment for the $130 book fee, plus $60 expedite if you choose it
• Name change evidence if the book name no longer matches your legal name

Our full document checklist walks through citizenship proof and ID rules when DS-11 applies instead. DS-82 is lighter because your old book is the proof of prior issuance.

Write the check or money order to the U.S. Department of State unless the form revision says otherwise. Put your name and date of birth on the payment. Use trackable mail when you add the $60 expedite fee. The agency cannot prioritize a renewal it never received. Overnight outbound mail to the State Department is separate from the $21.36 overnight return option on the form.

Staple one photo in the upper corner as the PDF shows. Do not staple through your face. Sign the application in the box on the photo page after the photo is attached. A signature before the photo goes on, or a missing signature, is a top reason DS-82 packets return without entering the queue.

When you must use DS-11 in person

DS-11 covers first passports, child passports, and adult cases that broke one of the mail rules. You appear with evidence of citizenship, photo ID, the application, and a photo. A clerk watches you sign. That witness step is why the $35 execution fee exists.

Common DS-11 triggers include a passport issued more than 15 years ago, a book that was lost or stolen, a name change that cannot be documented for mail, or any applicant under 16. Parents filing for a baby always land here. Our newborn passport walkthrough covers the two-parent rules and infant photo headaches that DS-82 never touches.

Extra forms that pair with DS-11

1. Form DS-64 when the prior book was lost or stolen
2. Form DS-3053 when one parent cannot appear for a child
3. Certified name change records when the book name and legal name disagree

Name changes sit in a gray zone. Some still qualify for DS-82 with a marriage certificate or court order in the packet. Others need DS-11. Read our passport name change after marriage before you guess.

Do not sign DS-11 at home. The acceptance agent tells you when to sign. Bring two identical photos to most post offices even if the website lists one. Facilities differ. Budget about $15 for those prints at a drugstore or studio. Photo cost is not a government fee. It sits beside the $130 book and $35 execution on your receipt.

Citizenship proof for first-time adults often means a birth certificate or naturalization certificate plus a driver license or state ID. The clerk makes copies and sends the file to a passport agency. You keep your ID. Original citizenship documents usually stay in the packet until the new book ships.

Common scenarios: which form to file

Real cases blur the eligibility list. Here is how frequent situations map to a form in September 2026.

Damaged books are judged case by case. Water warping, torn pages, or a missing cover usually mean DS-11. A bent corner on an otherwise readable book might still pass for DS-82. When the damage is borderline, an in-person appointment is safer than mailing a book that comes back with a rejection letter three weeks later.

Adults who need a passport card for the first time can add the $30 card on either form. If you already have a card and only the book expired, DS-82 with both products checked renews them together. Card-only renewals by mail follow the same eligibility rules as the book.

What each path costs in September 2026

Adult book through DS-11 at a post office runs $130 plus $35 execution, so $165 before photo and shipping. The same book through DS-82 is $130 by mail. Add $60 expedite on either path for 2-3 week processing instead of routine 6-8 weeks. Overnight return mail is a separate $21.36 line item when you want the finished book shipped fast. It does not replace expedite.

A passport card is $30 as an add-on on DS-11 or DS-82 when you want land border ID without carrying the book. Child book fees are $100 plus $35 execution. None of these numbers include the photo estimate of about $15 at a drugstore or studio.

A file search fee of $150 applies when you need the State Department to locate a very old record before you can renew. That charge is rare for typical renewals but shows up when someone lost decades-old proof. It is separate from the book fee and does not apply to standard DS-82 packets where you send the old book in the envelope.

If you are unsure which stack applies, run the calculate your passport cost tool with your real answers. Picking DS-82 when you needed DS-11 costs more than $35. It costs weeks while the packet returns and you rebook an appointment.

Processing time follows the service level, not the form

Routine service is 6-8 weeks whether you walked into a post office or mailed DS-82. Expedited service is 2-3 weeks when you pay the $60 expedite fee and use trackable mail. Urgent same-day service requires a passport agency appointment and proof of immediate travel. The form does not grant a faster queue by itself.

Mailing DS-82 adds mail transit on both ends. People forget the week the envelope spends in USPS before the clock starts. Our expedite fee vs overnight return shipping post explains why paying $21.36 for fast return shipping still leaves you in routine processing if you skip the $60 expedite line.

Status tracking at passportstatus.state.gov works for both forms once the agency enters the file. In-person DS-11 often shows Not Found for 7-14 days after the counter visit. Mailed DS-82 starts the same lag after the State Department scans the envelope, not the day you dropped it in the blue box. The form does not change production speed inside the building.

Spring break and summer travel spikes add calendar days without changing the posted fee schedule. Plan from the date your file is accepted or received, not from the day you printed the PDF.

How to avoid picking the wrong form

Read the eligibility list on travel.state.gov renew by mail the same day you print. Rules change slowly but they do change. Download Form DS-82 PDF or Form DS-11 PDF from the official forms page only. Third-party PDFs sometimes lag a revision.

Do not sign DS-11 at home. The acceptance agent tells you when to sign. DS-82 gets signed in ink on the photo page after you attach the photo. Wrong signature timing is a common rejection reason that has nothing to do with citizenship.

When in doubt, book the in-person appointment. DS-11 is slower on fees but safer when your story is messy. A clerk can tell you on the spot if mail renewal would have worked. That five-minute conversation beats a six-week bounce.

Use the passport acceptance facility search at iafdb.travel.state.gov to find hours and payment rules before you drive over. Some locations require appointments. Others take walk-ins until a daily cap fills. Execution fee payment methods vary. Confirm whether your post office takes cards for both the $35 execution and the $130 application fee or splits them across check and card.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

Official sources

• Renew by mail eligibility (travel.state.gov)
• Form DS-11 PDF
• Form DS-82 PDF
• Passport forms index
• Passport fees schedule
• Processing times
• Passport name change guide
• Expedite vs overnight shipping

Related tools

Related tools on this site

• Passport form assistant: Answer a few questions and see whether DS-11 or DS-82 fits your case.
• Passport cost calculator: Compare the $165 in-person stack with the $130 mail renewal total.
• Document checklist: See citizenship and ID papers required when DS-11 applies.