Online passport renewal is back — here's how to do it
Some Americans now have the option to renew their passports online after the State Department rolled out an updated version of the system earlier in the week.
The system has a number of requirements Americans must meet before they can try to use it for renewing a passport. It only accepts a certain number of applications from people at least 25 years old each day.
Some of the requirements include the passport having a decade of validity, an issuance date in the 2009-2015 range and no biographical information changes. They must also have a Login.gov account set up, according to information on the State Department website.
"During the next several months, we plan to continue to limit the number of applications accepted each day so we can monitor the system’s performance in real time," the State Department said. "This beta release during which we are limiting the daily applications is an important and standard part of the software development process."
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The system will take routine renewal applications daily during a "limited midday eastern time window" and "close once we reach our limit for the day," according to the agency.
The online renewal process involves an applicant providing details about her most recent passport, travel plans and a digital photo.
The State Department also explained that if the daily application maximum has already been reached on a given day, eligible applicants will have to apply to renew their passports through the system on a different day.
The application fee for renewing an adult’s passport book via the online system is $130.
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The online system is not an option for people who need new passports for travel coming up sooner than eight weeks, according to the State Department.
People can also renew their passports via mail and in person.
It takes the State Department six to eight weeks to process both mailed-in and online passport renewals, not counting transit time, the agency’s website said. Expedited processing takes two to three weeks.
The State Department has previously conducted a test of online passport renewal.
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The agency’s website indicated the testing of the latest system would help "prepare for a full launch of the updated online passport renewal system" in the future.
The Pew Research Center reported in December that 76% of Americans have taken international trips at some point in their lives. Roughly 50% have stamps on their passports from one to four foreign countries, it found.