Buy a passport It can be quite a rigmarole in the US, but it’s about to get a little simpler. The State Department reported on this online passport renewal is officially available to the public following many pilot programs. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that increased staffing and technological improvements have both fueled this progress and reduced passport wait times.
Until now, applying for a new passport required sending a printed form, a passport-size photograph, a copy of a valid ID, the person’s most recent passport, and a cheque. Americans can also bring documents to a passport processing facility and pay by cash or credit card.
However, online passport applications will not be available to every American citizen. Individuals are eligible If they live in the US, are over 25 years old, and their passport has expired after 2019 or will expire in the following year. This means that anyone who has had their first passport for more than five years, lives abroad or is under the age of 25 will not be able to benefit from the change. The new system is also not available to anyone who has changed their name or gender.
These restrictions may change in the future. Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter: “This won’t be the last thing we do.” said in the briefing. “We want to see how it goes, and then we’ll start looking for ways to make this service available to more Americans in the coming months and years.” For now, if you have the quality, follow the steps for online renewal of passport here.
