Great news for Globe Aware volunteers who need to renew their passports! The U.S. State Department has recently introduced an option for Americans to renew their adult passports online. Find out more about this convenient alternative!
U.S. passports can now be renewed online, State Department announces
By Caroline Linton
September 18, 2024
CBS News
The State Department announced Wednesday that Americans can now renew their adult passports online, fully rolling out a system that bypasses the traditional method that required printing out a form and mailing a check.
"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," the State Department said in a statement. "Thanks to increased staffing, technological advancements, and a host of other improvements, the average routine passport is being processed today in roughly one-third the time as at the same point last summer, and well under the advertised six to eight weeks processing times."
The State Department launched a public beta version of the new process in June, now available 24/7.
The requirements for renewing a passport remain in place through the online system, including uploading a passport photo, paying fees and renewing within a certain timeframe. As with mail renewal, a passport that expires within the last five years can be renewed online.
As of now, only adult passports can be renewed online, and only those living in the U.S., either a state or territory, can do so.
Assistant secretary of consular affairs Rena Bitter, told reporters Wednesday that the processing time is still six to eight weeks.
"The benefit of online passport renewal is that it's a more convenient service," Bitter said. "We don't expect to have a different service standard for people who apply online versus people who apply by mail. We want to make sure that we give the American people a choice to be able to do either."
In 2021, COVID-related staffing shortages and other factors led the wait time for passport renewal to balloon to 18 weeks despite a drop in demand. In 2023, demand bounced back with more Americans resuming global travel, further straining the system. The State Department announced later that processing times had returned to normal.
According to the State Department, 48% of Americans had passports in 2023, up from 5% in 1990.
