How Do You Get a U.S. Passport While Living Abroad?

The living-abroad rule in one table

| Default outside the U.S. | Apply in person at a U.S. embassy or consulate for all passport services. Procedures differ by post. Check the specific embassy or consulate page | | Online renewal | Unavailable from any foreign location. The renewal page requires location in a U.S. state or territory at the time of submission | | Canada mail track | Renew by mail to the United States from Canada, under the Canada page's own rules. No online renewal if living in Canada | | Travel under 8 weeks, from Canada | Visit a U.S. embassy or consulate instead of mailing | | Canada, children | A child under 16 cannot be renewed by mail. The child applies for a new passport at a U.S. embassy or consulate in Canada | | Post-specific proof | The London post accepts DS-82 renewals by mail to the embassy, with pay.gov payment. The Canada post mails to Philadelphia PO boxes, with check or money order. No general abroad list exists |

What makes living abroad different

There is no general abroad procedure. That is the whole rule. Procedures differ by post, and the two verified posts in this guide route applications in opposite directions: Canada mails renewals to Philadelphia PO boxes in the United States, while London takes DS-82 renewals by mail to the embassy itself and states not to mail the application to the United States. Any list claiming a general non-Canada mail or drop-box procedure would misstate both posts.

The second difference is payment. There is no general abroad payment method on the State fees page, which covers acceptance-facility, mail, online, and agency payment only, with no embassy or consulate method. Canada's mail track pays by personal check or money order drawn on a U.S. financial institution in U.S. dollars, with a 9-digit routing number, or through pay.gov with the application mailed to the Ottawa embassy or a consulate instead. London pays through pay.gov online, with the printed confirmation in the package.

The Canada mail track, step by step

1. Confirm DS-82 eligibility: the most recent passport is submittable, never reported lost or stolen, issued within the last 15 years, issued at age 16 or older and valid 10 years, issued in the current name or with a name-change document, and not damaged beyond normal wear and tear. A limited-validity renewal needs a previous 10-year passport, and it cannot be limited because of multiple lost or multiple damaged passports.
2. Complete the form with the Form Filler, print single-sided, complete all parts, and sign and date before mailing. Do not put a Canadian Social Insurance Number on the form in place of a U.S. Social Security number. Book, card, or both, with the large-book box for frequent travelers at no extra cost.
3. Staple 1 photo with 4 staples vertically in the corners, as close to the outer edges as possible. Do not bend it.
4. Pay by personal check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. No cash. Write the full name and date of birth on the front. Do not include 1 to 3 day or express delivery fees: express delivery is not available to U.S. residents in Canada. Do not pay an expedited processing fee if renewing through the nearest embassy or consulate instead of mailing.
5. Mail by Canada Post. Routine service goes to the National Passport Processing Center, PO Box 90155, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155. Expedited service goes to PO Box 90955, Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955, with EXPEDITE on the envelope. If the fees were paid on pay.gov, mail the application to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa or a U.S. consulate instead, not to the United States.
6. Watch the status on the State Department status page. It can take 2 weeks from mailing until the first In Process status. The completed passport and supporting documents come back by USPS First Class Mail. Supporting documents can arrive up to 4 weeks after the book or card.

A name change on the Canada track needs a certified copy of the legal name-change document, returned separately. If a Canadian divorce decree does not show a return to a maiden name, provide proof of the birth or maiden name, such as an original or certified birth certificate. If renewal requirements are not met, apply again in person, including when the passport was lost or stolen or was issued more than 15 years ago. Learn more through Mission Canada's navigator tool.

The embassy and consulate track

In most countries, apply in person at a U.S. embassy or consulate for all passport services, and check that post's website for its procedures. The London post proves the point: adult passport renewal by DS-82 goes by mail to the embassy at 33 Nine Elms Lane, London SW11 7US, by Royal Mail Special Delivery, with pay.gov payment, 130 dollars for a book, 30 dollars for a card, or 160 dollars for both, processed at the embassy, with no imminent travel within 4 weeks. No general abroad processing time exists on the State pages: abroad timing is post-specific, and the domestic 4 to 6 week and 2 to 3 week windows must not be imported as abroad times. A child under 16 abroad applies in person at the embassy or consulate, following the child track's consent rules.

Related guides

A lost or stolen passport abroad follows the embassy and consulate emergency track. Domestic renewal runs through the renewal track. For every passport track side by side, see the U.S. Passport Guides by Situation directory.

Source

The Canada mail track, the in-person default, the post-specific payment and routing rules, and the online-renewal location rule on this page come from the U.S. Department of State: the Renew Your Passport from Canada page, the Renew Your Passport Online page, the Passport Fees page, and the U.S. Embassy London adult passport renewal page. Facts verified 2026-10-27.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.