Americans Can Now Renew Their Passports Online: Everything You Need to Know

The U.S. Department of State on Wednesday announced that Americans can now renew their passports online, bypassing a mail-in method that could take many weeks.

“By offering this online alternative to the traditional paper application process, the Department is embracing digital transformation to offer the most efficient and convenient passport renewal experience possible,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement in announcing the change.

The new system now allows renewal applicants to submit their applications and payment through a secure website, rather than printing out and sending paper applications and checks by mail.

An update to the State Department’s website on Wednesday shows that its portal to renew passports online is now operational.

However, the State Department warns that the online renewal process has limitations, including the timing, the age of the passport holder, and the type of passport.

Requirements to Renew

The online portal requires that U.S. citizens create an account, have had a valid passport for 10 years, and be aged 25 or older. They are also required to be currently residing in the United States and have their passport on hand. It cannot be “damaged” or “mutilated,” the website says.

The passport holder needs to be able to upload a digital passport photo of themselves and pay with a debit or credit card. The passport cannot be reported stolen, according to the website.

A U.S. citizen can perform an online renewal if the State Department issued the passport between 2009 and 2015, or more than nine years ago but less than 15 years ago, the website said.

The individual also can’t travel for at least eight weeks from the date the passport renewal application is submitted because the State Department can only offer routine service, it added.

“The time it takes to get a passport will be the same as renewing by mail,” the agency said.

Americans also cannot renew a special issuance passport used for official, service, and diplomatic purposes through the online portal, according to the website.

Must Create an Account

U.S. passport holders will have to create an account on the State Department’s travel website to apply for a passport renewal online.

An Epoch Times review of the process shows that the site will redirect applicants to the Login.gov site to create the account.

After the account is created, the applicant must click on the “Renew Your Passport” button on the home page.

“You can save your application and finish it at a later date. You have 30 days to complete your application after you start it. If you do not complete your application in 30 days, you will need to start over,” the agency says.

Information Must Be Entered

After that, the applicant has to enter relevant passport information, including their name, most recent passport’s validity, and other details.

The State Department will then ask for any travel plans in the coming weeks and months since it will take up to eight weeks to mail the renewed passport. Those who need a passport in fewer than three weeks are advised to make an appointment to renew by mail instead. People who need the passport renewed in three to eight weeks are advised to get expedited service and renew by mail.

A digital photo is then required to be uploaded. No selfies are allowed, and the agency recommends that another person take the photo.

An already-scanned or printed photo also cannot be submitted.

Card Only

Only a debit or credit card can be used to pay for the passport services online, says the State Department. An email will be sent to confirm that a payment is pending first.

“The first email will notify you that your payment is pending. The second email will confirm we processed your payment. If we are unable to process your payment, you will receive an email asking you to login to your account and pay again,” the department says.

‘Significant Step Forward’

Despite the limitations, Blinken described Wednesday’s change as a “significant step forward in ensuring that Americans can more easily access passport services.”

“Instead of printing a paper application and mailing it with a check, Americans can now renew their passports through a secure process that will save time and effort,” he said, referring to the traditional way of renewing a U.S. passport.

After staffing shortages caused mainly by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lengthy passport processing delays, the department ramped up hiring and introduced other technological improvements that have reduced wait times by about one-third from last year.

The agency said most applications are now completed in far less than the advertised six weeks to eight weeks and that the online renewal system is expected to further reduce that.

The online passport renewal page can be accessed here.

The Epoch Times reached out to the State Department for additional comment but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.