Online Passport Renewal Available Starting September 18, 2024

The Department of State (DOS) has announced that their new online passport renewal system is fully available to the public starting today, September 18, 2024.  The new system allows eligible U.S. citizens to renew their passports through a secure online process, eliminating the need to print and mail paper applications. 

To be eligible for online passport renewal, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• The applicant’s most recent passport is, or was, valid for 10 years and the applicant is 25 years or older;
• The applicant’s most recent passport was issued by the DOS between 2009 and 2015, or over 9 years ago but less than 15 years from the date the applicant plans to submit an application;
• The applicant is not changing their name, gender, date of birth, or place of birth;
• The applicant is not traveling for at least 8 weeks from the date the application is submitted, as DOS will only offer routine service and the time it will take to get a passport will be the same as renewing by mail;
• The application is for a regular (tourist) passport, as special issuance passports (diplomatic, official, service) cannot be renewed online;
• The applicant lives in the United States (either state or territory), as applicants do not qualify to renew online if they live in a foreign country or have an Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) address;
• The applicant is in possession of their most recent passport, and the passport is not damaged or mutilated and it has not been reported as lost or stolen (applicants must keep their most recent passports instead of mailing them to the DOS);
• The applicant is able to pay for the passport renewal using a credit or debit card;
• The applicant is able to upload a digital passport photo; and
• The applicant is aware that the DOS will cancel their most recent passport after submitting a renewal application (applicants will not be able to use the canceled passport for international travel).

Eligible applicants may renew their passports online at Travel.State.Gov/renewonline.  Applicants will be required to create an account in order to complete their online application form, upload a digital photo, sign, and pay.  One week after submitting their passport renewal application, applicants may enroll in email updates about the status of their application at https://passportstatus.state.gov/.

Applicants who do not qualify to renew online, may continue to renew their passports by mail or in person at a passport agency. 

If you have questions about the online passport renewal process, please contact your Vorys attorney.