The State Department announced Wednesday that Americans can now renew their adult passports online, fully deploying a system that bypasses the traditional method of printing a form and mailing a check.
“By offering this online alternative to the traditional paper-based application process, the State Department is embracing digital transformation to deliver 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 processed today in about a third of the time it took this time last summer, and well below the advertised processing times of six to eight weeks.”
The State Department launched a public beta of the new process in June, which is now available 24/7.
The requirements for renewing a passport through the online system remain in effect, including uploading a passport photo, paying the fee and renewing within a certain time period. As with renewal by mail, a passport that expired within the last five years can be renewed online.
Currently, only adult passports can be renewed online, and only people living in the United States, whether a state or territory, can renew their passport online.
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Rena Bitter, assistant secretary for consular affairs, told reporters Wednesday that the processing time was still six to eight weeks.
“The benefit of online passport renewal is that it’s a more convenient service,” Bitter said. “We don’t plan to have different service standards for people who apply online versus people who apply by mail. We just want to make sure that we give the American people the choice to be able to do either of those two methods.”
In 2021, staff shortages related to COVID-19 and other factors resulted in longer wait times for passport renewals. to reach 18 weeksdespite a drop in demand. In 2023, demand rebounded as more Americans resumed international travel, further straining the system. The State Department announced later that year that processing times had returned to normal.
According to the State Department, 48% of Americans had a passport in 2023, up from 5% in 1990.
