Visa holders must keep a valid passport to keep status, to apply for extensions, and to travel. CBP may give you an I-94 date that ends when your passport ends.
Green card holders need a valid passport to travel abroad and to enter other countries.
Banks, DMVs and employers use the passport as your main ID.
Start the renewal 6 to 12 months before it expires. Many consulates are slow.
Only your own country can renew your passport. In the US, you do it through your country's embassy in Washington, D.C., or a consulate in a large city.
Find your country's embassy website. The US State Department publishes a list of foreign embassies.
Check which consulate covers your state. Each consulate serves certain states.
Read the steps. Some countries allow mail or online applications; others need an in-person appointment with fingerprints.
Prepare: the old passport, photos in the size they ask, the form, the fee, and often a copy of your US status (visa, I-94, I-20, green card).
Book the appointment early. Some consulates hold events in other cities ("mobile consular services").
What happens to your visa
A valid US visa in an old, expired passport is still valid. Travel with both passports: the new one and the old one with the visa. You do not need a new visa only because you got a new passport.
After you get the new passport
Tell your DSO or RO (students). They update SEVIS.
Tell your employer (workers) and HR.
Use the new passport number on new forms. Your next I-94 will show the new number.
Update the passport number with your bank if they ask.
Report it to the police (some consulates want a police report) and contact your consulate quickly. A lost green card is replaced with USCIS Form I-90.
Letting the passport expire while an extension is pending.
Throwing away the old passport with a valid visa.
Booking travel before the new passport is in your hand.