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How to Renew a Passport Online

It’s official: The State Department allows online renewals in many cases

A person checking-in for a flight at the airport with the automated passport kiosk
The State Department announced that its online passport renewal program is available for use. To be able to renew online, you must meet strict eligibility requirements.
Getty Images

Nicole Gill Council,

 
AARP
Published September 19, 2024

Americans can now renew their passports online, the U.S. Department of State has announced.

The system is available to those who meet strict eligibility requirements, listed below. Children’s passports cannot be renewed online, the Associated Press reports. In addition, those living outside the U.S. and those seeking expedited renewal can’t use the online system; they need to renew through the mail-in paper application. Those applying for a passport for the first time must do so via the mail-in form.

In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “By offering this online alternative to the traditional paper application process, the [State] Department is embracing digital transformation to offer the most efficient and convenient passport renewal experience possible.”

To renew online, passport holders should visit Travel.State.Gov/renewonline and follow the below steps.

Step 1: Confirm eligibility

Identify whether you meet the requirements, among them:

  • The passport to be renewed was or is valid for 10 years; was issued between 2009 and 2015, or over nine years but less that 15 years from the application date.
  • The passport holder is 25 or older.
  • Your personal information is not changing.
  • Your travel is more than eight weeks from the date the application is submitted.
  • You live in the U.S. and not in a foreign country or have an Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office address.
  • The passport is in your possession and is not damaged or reported lost or stolen.
  • You are applying for a regular tourist passport.
  • You can upload a digital passport photo and pay with a credit or debit card.

Step 2: Create an account

Go to the MyTravelGov website to sign in. You will be taken to Login.gov, where you can use an existing account or create a new one.

Step 3: Start your application

Click on the Renew Your Passport button to start the process. The application can be saved and completed later. Keep in mind that you have 30 days to complete the application.

Step 4: Enter information about your most recent passport

At this point, the State Department is reviewing its records to determine whether the passport you are renewing can be renewed online. A list of reasons will be provided if you’re ineligible to renew online. Passport books and passport cards can be renewed online.

Step 5: Enter travel plans

Online passport renewal is for routine service. If you are traveling in less than eight weeks, the passport can’t be renewed online.

Step 6: Upload a digital photo

The original, digital photo should be in .jpeg format. It can’t be a selfie or a photo of an existing printed photo. For complete details, review the video at Travel.State.Gov/renewonline.

Step 7: Sign and pay

All passport fees must be paid using a credit or debit card. After you click the Sign and Pay button, you’ll be taken to pay.gov to submit your payment. You’ll receive emails confirming your payment status. Keep your most recent passport; don’t mail it to the State Department or use it for travel as it will be canceled.

Step 8: Sign up for email updates

One week after applying, you can enroll to receive additional emails about the status of your application through the department’s online passport status system.

How much does it cost to renew a passport online?

It is $130 to renew a passport book online, the same cost as renewing by mail. The fee to renew a passport card is $30, while it’s $160 to renew a passport book and card.

How long does it take to process the online renewal?

It will take six to eight weeks to receive a passport under the routine application process. The processing time does not include mailing times. Routine times are the same whether applying by mail or online.

What is a passport card, and where can you use it?

A passport card is a wallet-sized document that can only be used to reenter the United States at land border crossings and seaports of entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It provides a less expensive ($30 for a renewal), smaller alternative to the passport book for those who travel frequently to these destinations by land or sea.

Passport cards cannot be used for international travel by air.

To apply for a passport card, use the same form as applying for a passport book. You can apply for both simultaneously by mail or online. The processing time for the card is the same as for the book, but cards are only sent via first-class mail.

What is an electronic passport?

An electronic or e-Passport contains an electronic chip with the same information that is printed on the passport’s ID page. It provides protection against identity theft and makes it difficult to use an altered or forged passport.

All U.S. passports issued from 2006 to 2022 were e-Passports, distinguished by the international e-Passport symbol on the front cover. Since then, new passports have been Next Generation Passports, redesigned to be safer and smarter with enhanced security features, according to a State Department spokesperson.

Contributing: Veronica Stoddart, AARP; the Associated Press

Nicole Gill Council is a writer and editor of travel and diversity, equity and inclusion content for aarp.org. Previously, she was a digital planning manager and a news editor at USA Today and Gannett News Service, and a copy editor at the Los Angeles Times and Newsday.

 

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