News & Advice

Americans Will Be Able to Renew U.S. Passports Online This October

Soon, those difficult-to-get appointments will be a thing of the past.
Passport. Phone. Computer
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American travelers are another step closer to being able to renew their passports online: In October, the State Department will reopen its online U.S. passport renewal service. It's a pilot of a new online renewal system that is slated to fully open to the public early next year.

The test program was originally launched in February for federal government employees and contractors, and in August, the first "limited” version of the online renewal initiative was opened to the public. That phase of the trial was open on a first come, first served basis until the Department reached 25,000 online renewal applications.

Now, according to an update on the State Department's site, officials plan to reopen the pilot program for a third phase of online passport renewal submissions this October. While no specific opening date is available yet, the Department says it plans to post updates on its dedicated page by mid-October. 

In the meantime, travelers can create an online account—called a MyTravelGov account—which is required to submit the U.S. passport renewal documents online. It's a good idea to create an account in advance, as it's likely that the third phase of the program will again be open to a limited number of travelers. When online renewals open again, travelers will log in to this account to start the process.

But not everyone can renew a passport online. To be eligible, travelers must:

  • Be 25 years of age or older, and their most recent passport must have been valid for 10 years
  • Have a passport that's not yet expired. Their most recent passport must have been issued over nine years ago (2013) but less than 15 years ago (2007) from the date they plan to submit their application.
  • Be applying for a regular tourist passport; special issuance passports—like diplomatic or service passports—can't be renewed online
  • Live in the U.S. (either state or territory); travelers living in a different country do not qualify for online renewal
  • Have their passport in their possession (it can't be damaged or mutilated), and it hasn't been reported lost or stolen
  • Not be changing their name, gender, place of birth, or date of birth
  • Not be traveling internationally for at least six weeks from the date they submit their online application

To complete the online renewal submission, travelers must also upload a digital passport photo and pay the fees with a credit card, debit card, or bank transfer (the typical cost for an adult to renew a passport book is $130). Once the application is submitted, travelers' current passports will be immediately invalidated and unusable for international trips. 

For those who do make it into the test program this October, the processing time should be similar to the seven to 10 weeks for a mailed-in application. An expedited service will also be offered for an extra fee (usually $60), which typically shortens the processing time to four to six weeks. “Still, you’ll save some time applying online because mailing an application can add up to two weeks to this timeframe,” says NerdWallet’s Sara Rathner

If you are traveling internationally in the next six weeks, or simply don't want to wait until October, you can still renew your passport by mail, or in certain circumstances, in person. “If you need your passport for an upcoming trip, don’t wait until online applications open up again,” Rathner says. 

The hope is the new system will save money, time, and effort, making the U.S. passport renewal process easier than ever.  During the pilot, the State Department is testing the functionality of the system to ensure it runs as intended. Officials will continue posting updates on its site regarding when the program will fully open to the public, but the current target is early 2023.

The new online passport system is part of an executive order from President Biden focused on transforming federal customer experience, and the Secretary of State has been working on a new online system “that does not require any physical documents to be mailed.”

Many in the travel industry see the online renewal system as a step in the right direction, especially since the current antiquated mail-in protocol has been a source of anxiety for so many Americans. Currently, the passport renewal process requires filling out an application called DS-82, providing a passport-sized photo, and calculating fees, plus tossing the current passport and potentially other identification papers in the mail. “It’s scary to mail in your [old] passport, marriage certificate, and other documents and hope you’ll get them back,” Rathner says.

On top of that, not everyone qualifies for mail renewal, as the passport holder needs to have been 16 years old or older when they got the original passport. The original passport must also have been issued within the last 15 years with their current name (or proof of name change), and the passport itself must be completely undamaged, other than from normal use.

That tedious process got exponentially more difficult during the onset of the pandemic. “Since COVID-19, U.S. passport agencies work on reduced capacities and that resulted in an enormous backlog, causing applications to take as long as four months to be processed last summer,” says Lynn Minnaert, formerly of New York University's Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. She adds that she even heard of people camping overnight to get spots for in-personal renewals.

But with the new easier method also comes added worries of submitting personal details—especially for an official form of identity—over the internet. But experts agree that shouldn't be a concern. “Many of us shop online, bank online, and manage personal information online,” Minnaert adds, noting that the United Kingdom and India already have online passport renewal systems. “Of course, people should be cautious that they do not use fraudulent sites to apply—they should carefully check the URL or application link to ensure they are dealing with the State Department, and not an imposter.”

Rathner adds that where you sign on from matters, too: “Don’t complete these tasks on public Wi-Fi—applying for a passport online is best done at home on your own password-protected Wi-Fi.”

Ultimately, American travelers will soon reap the benefits of a more streamlined passport procedure. “This will save traveling Americans so much time and frustration,” Minnaert says. “I believe that very soon we will be astounded that we ever applied for passports in any other way.”

This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.