The authorities in the UAE are constantly offering stellar services that make life easier for its residents. Yes, this includes both expats and Emirati citizens as some of the services allow them to make use of the services from the comfort of their home. This time, we are specifically shining the light on the fact that some US expats can renew their passports or even change the details of the same from the comfort of their homes.
Some American Expats Can Now Get Their Passports Renewed At Home
Some American expats can now get their passport details or passports renewed without having to stand in queues. This is possible as it can be done from the comfort of their homes. However, they must have a valid mailing address in the UAE and be a current resident of the country. To get their passports renewed, they must fill the forms DS-82 and DS-5504. They can either opt for home pick-up of the documents and drop-off through the Emirates Post or by using the dropbox at the US missions in the country.
What Are The Forms For This?
In case you aren’t aware, the DS-82 form offers a renewal of the same for full validity, which is 10 10-year passport. The DS-5504 form refers to the renewal form if your current passport is unexpired and was issued less than one year ago. Here’s why the renewal is done –
- This is done to replace the limited validity of the US passport with full validity instead.
- If there is any printing error that requires correction in the valid US passport.
- If you are changing your name, then you must also provide supportive documents for the same.
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What Are The Steps For This?
Talking about the steps to apply for passport changes or renewal, they are as follows –
- You must sign and complete the forms DS-82 or DS-5504 passport renewal complex. You can fill it out online and then submit the printed copy with a barcode.
- Make sure that your documents are gathered to be included in the package, which you’re either mailing or putting in the Dropbox.
- After this, you must pay the required fees online at the US Government’s pay.gov site. Then make sure to print out the electronic payment confirmation that you receive through an email or you can include it in the package you sent to the US missions.
- Now you must schedule Emirates Post or drop it off at one of the US missions, as passport processing usually takes 7 to 8 weeks.
- Once this is done, the new passport will be delivered using your prepaid, self-addressed envelope if you’re using Emirates Post. And if you have used Dropbox, you will receive an email to collect your passport at the US mission where the document was dropped off.
Talking about the cost, the DS-5504 renewal is free of charge. However, the DS-82 renewal charges a fee of $130 through US or international credit/debit cards. This can also be done through electronic funds transfer from US Bank account, PayPal, or even Amazon Pay. However, you must be at least 16 years old to use this process. Not to mention, you must be a holder of a passport that has been issued less than 15 years ago.
So if you are someone who is eligible to use the service, make sure to do the same as it’s certainly going to make life easier for you.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (Images are for representative purposes only)
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