Starting from Wednesday, June 14th, the US State Department has once again opened online passport renewal services to the public. Currently, the system is in a testing phase and only accepts a limited number of applicants, with plans to expand processing capacity in the future.
Officials have stated that around 1 p.m. Eastern Time each day, seven days a week, the State Department will release a small number of online passport renewal slots. Online renewal aims to save time and energy, providing applicants with a more convenient option.
However, the current online passport renewal does not guarantee faster passport issuance. Officials have mentioned that the processing time for online applications is the same as those submitted by mail.
Applicants who meet the requirements can process their applications online without having to mail in all documents, and can expect to receive their passport within six to eight weeks.
It is important to note that not everyone is eligible for online passport renewal. For instance, first-time passport applicants still need to submit documents by mail.
Furthermore, online renewal requires applicants to be at least 25 years old and already possess a valid passport. The passport should have a 10-year validity and must have been issued between 2009 and 2015.
Senior officials at the State Department have mentioned that applicants using online renewal cannot update personal information such as name, gender, or date of birth.
Moreover, the renewal process is not applicable for expedited processing cases.
The full detailed regulations are available on the State Department website.
Officials have declined to disclose how many people can apply for online renewal each day but have indicated that the numbers will increase over time. They have stated that once the daily quota is reached, the portal will close. This means that not everyone attempting to renew online each day will be successful.
Officials have indicated that the time window for accepting online applications will gradually be extended in the future.
In 2022, the State Department tested online passport renewal but took down the plan in 2023.
Due to the challenges of processing a large number of applications and staffing, travelers faced significant delays in obtaining passports during the early stages of the pandemic. In 2021, the passport processing time extended to 18 weeks, but with staff in place, processing times have since been reduced.
The launch of the pilot version of the online passport renewal program comes just before the busy summer travel season and peak passport application period.
In March 2023, Secretary of State Blinken stated that once the plan is fully operational, 65% of passport renewals will be able to be done online.