Step 1: Electronically complete (fill out) and print the DS-82 Application for a U.S. Passport wizard form.  If you experience trouble with this Passport Application Wizard, please click here for Form DS-82 (PDF format) (PDF 81.3 KB).  Type or print clearly in black ink. The application must be signed, e-signatures are not accepted.

*NOTE: You must provide a Social Security number if you have been issued one.  If you do not have a Social Security number, please click here.

Step 2: Include one WHITE background color passport photo 2” x 2” (5 x 5 cm) taken within the past 6 months; no eyeglasses. See more information on photo requirements.

Step 3: Include one photocopy (color or black and white) of the data page of your current (expired or still valid) U.S. passport.

Step 4: Include your most recent (current or expired U.S. passport).

Step 5: Include any name change documents as necessary (original + 1 photocopy), if you would like to change the name on your new passport due to marriage, divorce, or court order. Documents must be originals, with English translations if applicable, (ex. marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order).  

Step 6: Pay the $130 passport application fee via the U.S. government’s secure payment site, Pay.gov. After successfully paying the fee, you MUST print out the electronic payment confirmation you receive via email and include it in the full package.  

Step 7:  Drop off your passport renewal application at the Embassy. No mail or delivery service accepted.

Drop Off Instructions 

Bring all the items listed above in an open/unsealed envelope to the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau 103 Mateevici, on Tuesdays between 1:30 pm -3:30 pm and Fridays between 10:00 am –12:00 pm. You do not need an appointment to drop off your completed passport renewal package. We are unable to accommodate drop offs on outside of these hours or if these hours fall on Moldovan and  U.S. holidays.

Upon arrival at the Embassy inform the guard that you are a U.S. citizen and wish to drop off your passport renewal package.

You will go through security screening, after which a member of the American Citizen Services team will accept your application package.

Step 8: You will receive an e-mail confirmation once your new passport has arrived at the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau. Passport processing takes approximately three weeks.  We will return your old passport with the new one.  Once you are notified that your passport has arrived, you can collect it any Monday from 15:00 to 15:30 or any Thursday from 11:00 to 12:00, except for Moldovan and U.S. Holidays.

Your passport must be:

• Undamaged*
• Issued within the last 15 years
• Issued with a 10-year validity; and
• Issued in your current name or you have changed your name since your passport was issued and can submit legal documentation to prove this change.

To renew your passport, please provide the following:

• Application Form

Electronically complete (fill out) and print the DS-82 Application for a U.S. Passport wizard form. If you experience trouble with this Passport Application Wizard, please click here for Form DS-82 (PDF format) (PDF 81.3 KB).
Complete and print (PDF Format).

• Photograph

Bring One 2″ X 2″ (or 5 cm X 5 cm) color photograph with white background. For additional information on passport photos, go here.

• Your Current U.S. Passport

You must bring your old passport with your application. The passport will be returned to you to keep while the new passport is being printed and shipped to the Embassy. We will cancel the old passport before issuing the new one, when it arrives.

• Fee Payment

For a list of fees and forms used for passport applications, go to  https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/fees.html. We accept the payments in U.S. Dollars or Moldovan Lei, by cash or credit card.

* Replacing Damaged Passports

Passports that are damaged or in poor condition should be replaced, regardless of remaining validity. You are required to apply for a renewal passport in person at the American Citizen Unit.

For security reasons, damaged passports may be retained by this office.

For damaged passports, this application will be the same as applying for an original passport.

To schedule an appointment please click here

Social Security Numbers

If you have been issued a social security number (SSN) you must provide it on your application for a U.S. passport. If the name on your social security record does not match the name on your passport application please make sure that you have completed question 9 on the form – ‘List all other names you have used’.

If you do not have a Social Security Number, you must submit a statement, signed and dated, that includes the phrase:

“I, (your name), declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the following is true and correct: I have never been issued a Social Security number by the Social Security Administration.

Date:___________________

Signature: ____________________________________”

How Long Does It Take To Receive the New Passport?

Processing time is about seven to ten days after we receive your completed application and approve it. All passports are now printed in the U.S. and must be shipped to Moldova. Because computers break, emergencies happen, and mail is sometimes delivered late, we suggest that you do not make any unchangeable travel plans until you have the new passport in hand.