Question: How long before your passport expires can it be renewed?

Answer: There’s no set date, but nine months ahead of time makes sense, according to information posted by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, which issues passports.

The bureau encourages people to apply or renew “well ahead of planned travel,” noting that demand for U.S. passports is strong and increasing; routine processing costs less than expedited service, but takes twice as long (generally four to six weeks); and that some countries won’t let a traveler enter with a passport that expires less than six months beyond the trip dates.

Put those facts together and nine months before expiration is reasonable, because it allows for potential delays in routine processing without cutting it close on the six-months rule.

Passports issued to people 16 and older are valid for 10 years; the duration is five years for younger passport holders. This difference may complicate family trips internationally, so be sure to check the issue dates of all travelers passports well in advance.

As for timing your renewal, the bureau offers this example: “A country requires that you have at least six months of validity on your passport. You currently have seven months of validity on your passport. However, your trip is two months from now. At that point, you will only have five months of validity remaining on your passport, which is not enough to satisfy that country’s entry requirements. In this situation, you would need to renew your passport before you can make your trip.”

You may renew by mail using form DS-82 (808ne.ws/formds82) if you can submit your most recent, undamaged passport with the application; it was issued less than 15 years ago and when you were at least 16 years old; and your name is the same or you can certify a name change. Follow the detailed instructions on the form.

If you can’t meet all those requirements, you must renew in person. Find the most convenient location at 808ne.ws/passport, the bureau’s search webpage for passport acceptance facilities. It lists more than a dozen on Oahu.

For general information about passport fees, photos and detailed instructions on filling out forms before you mail in or bring in your application, go to travel.state.gov.

Lastly, while it wouldn’t apply to you, since you are an adult renewing a current passport, we’ll also mention that the bureau hosts passport fairs throughout the United States to help people apply for passports, including in Hawaii. These events, which provide assistance in person, are aimed at adults who are first-time applicants and all children. There are two fairs scheduled Saturday but all appointments were filled by deadline Thursday. There likely will be another fair in Kaneohe in mid-November; we’ll publish the details when they become available.

Q: I tried scheduling online to make an appointment for driver’s license renewal. The only ones available were for December. How far in advance can we make an appointment? I tried looking for next year (2019) and there were none yet.

A: You can make an appointment via license.hono lulu.gov about 45 days in advance, depending on the location, according to the city. Although you can renew your driver’s license up to six months before it expires, you can’t make an appointment that far in advance. So if you wanted to renew months ahead of time, you would have to walk in. October is the peak for driver’s licensing over a years-long period, so we wouldn’t advise walking in now unless it was unavoidable.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.