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.
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.
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.
After the account is created, the applicant must click on the “Renew Your Passport” button on the home page.
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.
“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 Epoch Times reached out to the State Department for additional comment but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.