Maybe you’ve heard that you can now renew your U.S. passport online. There is a beta site available as long as you meet certain requirements. The State Department tells me that’s not the case must Faster – but the funny thing is, my family just had two of the fastest and easiest experiences we’ve ever had with the U.S. government.
I applied via my phone, took a digital photo of myself at home, and a week later I picked up my new passport at the post office. I submitted it on June 15th, my passport was issued on June 20th, and it was waiting for me on the 21st. Only six days in total.
When my wife tried it, her renewal was faster: she applied on June 24th, her application was approved on the 26th, and her new passport shipped on the 27th and was ready for collection on the 29th. It only takes five days, including shipping.
Plus, we didn’t pay for envelopes or postage, and we didn’t need to send a passport. I even used my old passport as photo ID when I picked up my new one.
First, You should know that it won’t always be this fast.
During the test period, the State Department intentionally limited the number of people who could apply each day, which Chief Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told me was why my turnaround time was so fast. The beta is currently serving tens of thousands, not millions!
The State Department does anticipate a one- to two-week improvement in processing times because you don’t need to mail in your passport and online payments are processed quickly, but as the State Department ramps up its efforts, the one-week turnaround time may disappear, Patel wrote. How many people can enter.
The department is still saying routine services will take six to eight weeks, the same as before the pandemic began, officials said. Its website warns: “The time it takes to obtain a passport will be the same as renewing it by mail.”
second, you can only do the simplest passport renewal online. You must be 25 years of age or older, currently living in the United States, and renew a 10-year ordinary tourist passport issued between 2009 and 2015. Your old passport. Here is a more complete list of requirements.
third, You must reserve a spot. You will need to create a Login.gov account and visit the site every day around 10am Pacific Time/1pm Eastern Time to see if you can log in. You will see this special message under your passport:
Once you’re in, you don’t need to complete the application right away; the website automatically saves where I left off. You can get the spot even if you don’t have a passport photo ready!
fourth, You may need help taking a valid passport photo; selfies won’t work as your arms need to be at your sides in the frame. I also had to look for a well-lit off-white background around my house – but they didn’t reject my photo because it had some visible wall texture in the background.
fifth, You may not be able to plan any international travel until your new passport arrives, even if it takes longer than you’d like; the U.S. State Department says your current passport will be canceled after you submit your online application, even if it’s still valid for a while time.
Once the program is fully launched, the State Department expects 5 million people a year to be eligible to renew their passports online, Patel said. This is equivalent to two-thirds of the total number of U.S. passport renewals.