The State Department has announced that its online passport renewal website is live and taking submissions. The modernization move, highlighted in the department’s statement and press conference, marks a major shift in what has long been a notoriously tedious process for citizens traveling in and out of the country. While not available to all US citizens, officials promised expansions are coming in the near future.
For years, applying for a US passport almost always hinged on physically mailing in numerous requirements. To get a new passport, applicants usually needed to send a printed form, a specifically sized picture, a written check, a valid ID photocopy, and their old passport. Now, however, the requirements are officially streamlining for many citizens—with faster results, too. According to the State Department on Wednesday, the average routine passport is currently processing in roughly one-third the time as they were a year ago, and “well under the advertised six-to-eight weeks” estimate.
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Not everyone can use the digitized system just yet. For now, applicants must currently reside in the US or a US territory (aka no one living abroad), be at least 25-years-old, and have a passport that either expired after 2019 or will expire in the next year. The online filing only handles standard eight-week turnaround times, so expedited applications still need to be taken care of through the mail or in-person. Additionally, the online portal cannot handle changes to name, gender, birthdate, or place of birth on the passport at the moment.
How to apply for your US passport online
If you check the above boxes, however, here’s how to move forward: First, set up or login to a MyTravelGov account, then click the “Renew Your Passport” button. Once started, you can save your application progress and return to it later, but need to finish the process within 30 days of beginning it. Digital photos must be in a .JPEG format, and taken by someone else (“No selfies,” warns the State Department). Fees can be paid with credit or debit cards, and unlike the classic renewal process, you don’t need to mail in or surrender your old passport. The State Department website also includes a number of step-by-step videos, as well as a FAQ section for further details and stipulations.
During a press call on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State Rena Bitter made it clear that the government intends to expand the online renewal option to increasingly wider portions of the US as soon as possible.
“This is where we’re starting with renewal for adult passports within the time period and in the geographic limitations that we have, but… we will expand this. This is not going to be the last thing that we do,” Bitter explained. “We want to see how this goes and then we’ll start looking at ways to continue to make this service available to more American citizens in the coming months and years.”
In addition to the online modernization efforts, Bitter reiterated State Department goals to open six new passport agency locations in “the coming years” for citizens needing in-person service or emergency applications.
To get started on your online passport renewal application, click here.