American passport holders can now renew their passports online, eliminating the need for the traditional paper-based application process. The US State Department announced that its online passport renewal system was fully operational and ready to go in mid-September.
In a move long in the making, the US State Department has joined the digital age, allowing Americans to sidestep mail-in passport renewal requests and instead process their applications via a new online service.
The system is currently only available to adult passport holders whose passports expired in the past five years or will expire within the next 12 months. First-time applicants, minors, expedited renewals and citizens living abroad will still need to follow the old method, meaning that Americans living in Monaco and elsewhere in the Côte d’Azur must continue using the paper-based process for now.
MODERNISING SERVICES
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the move is part of a broader effort to modernise passport services.
“By offering this online alternative to the traditional paper application process, the Department is embracing digital transformation to provide the most efficient and convenient passport renewal experience possible,” he said in a statement.
The new scheme is expected to benefit approximately five million Americans annually. In 2023, the State Department processed 24 million passports, around 40% of which were renewals. The online option aims to speed up the process and reduce the pressure on paper-based services, which have been facing a backlog since the Covid pandemic.
OTHER SERVICES SOON TO FOLLOW
Rena Bitter, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs and the person in charge of the nation’s passport service, says that there are plans to further expand digital options in the coming years. Potential expansions will include renewals for Americans living abroad, second and subsequent renewals, and children’s passport renewals.
“This is not going to be the last thing that we do,” she told the US media. “We want to see how this goes, and then we’ll start looking at ways to continue to make this service available to more American citizens in the coming months and years.”
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