If you are overseas and your passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, you may be able to use your expired passport to return directly to the United States until December 31, 2021.

You qualify for this exception if all the following are true:

• You are a U.S. citizen.
• You are currently abroad seeking direct return to the United States.
• You are flying directly to the United States, a United States territory, or have only short-term transit (“connecting flights”) through a foreign country on your direct return to the United States or to a United States Territory.
• Your expired passport was originally valid for 10 years. Or, if you were 15 years of age or younger when the passport was issued, your expired passport was valid for 5 years.
• Your expired passport is undamaged.
• Your expired passport is unaltered.
• Your expired passport is in your possession.

You do not qualify for this exception if:

• You wish to depart fromthe United States to an international destination.
• You are currently abroad seeking to travel to a foreign country for any length of stay longer than an airport connection en route to the United States or to a United States territory.
• Your expired passport was limited in validity.
• Your expired passport is a special issuance passport (such as a diplomatic, official, service, or no-fee regular passport).
• Your expired passport is damaged.
• Your expired passport is altered.
• Your expired passport is not in your possession.

All other passport rules and regulations remain in effect. The Department of Homeland Security maintains discretion to reject any bearer in accordance with 22 CFR 53.2(b)(7) and 8 CFR 235.1(b)

Suspension of Routine Consular Services

Effective July 19 until further notice, U.S. Embassy Moscow is suspending all routine U.S. citizen services, including passports, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, and notarial services. This is in response to the Russian government’s forced 75% reduction of our consular workforce. U.S. Embassy Moscow will continue to provide only emergency passport appointments and notarial services for DS-3053 forms and Marriage Letters. All emergency appointments must be scheduled via email.

We encourage U.S. citizens seeking routine citizenship services to schedule appointments with neighboring U.S. embassies and consulates and regret the inconvenience that this reduction in service will cause.

The U.S. Embassy will continue to accept emergency passport appointments in the following circumstances:

• U.S. citizens resident in Russia who require a new U.S. passport to remain in compliance with Russian immigration law
• A demonstrable, life-or-death emergency requiring immediate travel to the U.S. (booking travel with an expired U.S. passport does not qualify).

If you meet the criteria above, you can request an emergency appointment by emailing MoscowACS@state.gov. In the e-mail, please include the following information:

• If renewing, a scanned copy of the U.S. passport to be renewed
• Scanned copy of your Russian visa OR explanation of your emergency situation, with supporting documentation (such as a letter from doctor).

If a first-time applicant, scans of citizenship evidence such as a U.S. birth certificate

• Copies of both parents’ passports in the case of minor applicants
• Purpose of travel
• Destination
• Intended dates of travel
• Your country of residence

The e-mail subject line should read: Emergency Passport Appointment Request – (Applicant’s name) – (Applicant’s date of birth), for example, Emergency Passport Appointment Request – John Doe – 01 January 1980.