Damaged U.S. Passport Application

A damaged U.S. passport must be replaced with a brand-new application — you cannot mail it back through the DS-82 renewal process. The State Department defines damage as anything beyond "normal wear and tear": water damage, torn or missing pages, a peeling data-page laminate, an unreadable photo, or unauthorized markings (including doodles or stamps from non-government sources).

Our expedited damaged-passport service walks the new application through a regional agency. You include your damaged passport with the submission so the State Department can invalidate it and issue a fresh book in its place.

Use a Damaged Passport Application if:

• Water or moisture damage — even minor warping disqualifies it
• Torn or detached pages
• Damage to the data page — peeling laminate, faded photo, illegible info
• Unauthorized markings — pen ink, stickers, stamps from non-government entities
• A bent or punched cover

If you're unsure whether your passport counts as damaged, we recommend treating it as damaged for any travel within the next 60 days — airlines and foreign immigration officers can refuse a borderline book.

What you'll need for a Damaged U.S. Passport Application

• The damaged passport itself — must accompany the new application
• Proof of U.S. citizenship — birth certificate or naturalization certificate
• Government-issued photo ID (what counts) + photocopy
• One new passport photo (2x2 requirements) — recent
• Completed DS-11 — we generate this
• Signed statement describing how the damage occurred — we draft this for you
• Government fees (breakdown) — $130 application + $35 execution