If you were issued an emergency, limited-validity passport at a U.S. embassy or consulate because you had urgent travel, you should apply to replace this passport with a full-validity passport as soon as possible. All applicants, even minors, may apply by mail or in person using the passport application form DS-5504 (PDF 2.7 MB) as long as the emergency passport is still valid.
If the emergency passport has now expired, you must apply for a full-validity replacement using the DS-11 application. Please see the instructions on the Passports for First Time Adult Applicants or the Passports for Children page to apply using the DS-11.
Mail-In Application Requirements
Applicants in Hong Kong and Macau can complete the entire process by mail. We cannot accept applications from China or any other places besides Hong Kong or Macau.
Please include the following documents in your mail-in package:
- Your emergency U.S. passport, plus a copy of the biodata/signature page. The passport will be cancelled and returned to you with your new passport.
- A completed form DS-5504. If you experience trouble with the online Passport Application Wizard, please download the DS-5504 (PDF 2.7 MB) and complete it neatly by hand in blue or black ink.
- One Photo: The photo must be 2″ X 2″ (5 cm X 5 cm) with a white background. Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in U.S. passport photos. For details about the photo requirements, please see Passport Photos. If your emergency passport was issued less than six months ago, you may use the same photo.
- For details about the Social Security Number Requirement, please see Frequently Asked Questions.
- A self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your new passport. Please see below for further information on purchasing this envelope in advance of your consulate visit. Note that in-person collection of passports at the consulate will only be permitted under limited circumstances—see below.
Fees: There is no fee for replacing an emergency passport within the first year.
Your envelope should be addressed to:
Passport-by-Mail Service
American Citizen Services
U.S. Consulate General
26 Garden Road
Central
Hong Kong
Please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of both old and new passports. Please see below for further information on providing this envelope. We can only return passports to addresses in Hong Kong and Macau. Passport requests from applicants living in China or other countries will be returned.
In-Person Application Requirements
If you have an urgent need to replace your emergency passport, you may make an in-person appointment.
Please make an appointment online and bring your emergency U.S. passport, your completed DS-5504 and the supporting documents mentioned above to your appointment. Make sure to bring a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your new passport. Please see below for further information on preparing it. In-person collection of passports at the consulate will only be permitted under limited circumstances.
DS-5504 and Minor Applicants
Please note that two-parent consent does not apply when the DS-5504 form is being used, and the requirement for a child to appear in person, similarly, does not apply. Replacement of emergency passports for minors may take place by mail, and only one parent needs to sign the DS-5504 form.
Processing Time
The passport application will be sent to the United States for printing. You should allow 2-3 weeks for your application to be processed. If you will be traveling sooner than that, you must delay your travel until your new full validity passport is ready. It is not possible to obtain two emergency passports back-to-back.
Purchasing an envelope for passport return
If you are replacing your emergency passport with a full-validity passport, you should provide us with an envelope so that we can mail you your new passport once we receive it from the printing center in the United States. It needs to have postage to cover delivery from the Consulate in Hong Kong to your home address in either Hong Kong or Macau. To learn more, see our purchasing an envelope for passport return page.
Picking up a passport in person in lieu of mail return
In light of security procedures and COVID social distancing measures, which encourage us to have fewer people in our waiting room, our default procedure will always be to cancel your current passport at the time of your interview and mail you back your new passport. We will follow this procedure unless you specifically request otherwise.
If you need to retain your current passport for immediate travel while you are waiting for your renewal to be processed, you may ask consular staff not to cancel it. You must provide information about a specific, upcoming trip to exercise this option. You may not retain your uncancelled passport “just in case.” If we do not cancel your passport, we will provide instructions how you can return in person to pick up the new one, and we will cancel the previous one at that time.
Since we are not able to mail new passports outside of our consular district, people applying for passport renewals who do not have mailing addresses in Hong Kong or Macau will be required to collect new passports in person. If you are supposed to do an in-person pick-up but are unable to do so, you may send a third party to the Consulate to collect the passport for you. Please provide this person with the receipt, the old passport for cancellation, and a signed permission note.
New passports that are not collected within 90 days will, according to regulations, be returned to Washington, DC, and you will have to restart the process, including paying the fee again.
Last modified: November 25, 2022
