Did you lose your old passport? Want to update your name or gender? Need to receive it soon? You’ll still need to find a location near you and apply in person. After temporarily closing the portal, the government reopened the application process to new users on November 20. Here are a few tips for navigating the digital renewal process if you have questions about eligibility, submission steps, cost, or delivery speed. Are you curious about how to take an updated photo for the passport? We’ve got your back on that as well. You are not eligible for this renewal process and will likely need to apply in person if:
You need a passport for the first time.Your passport was lost, stolen, or damaged.Your passport is more than 15 years old.You want to pay with cash.You have a diplomatic passport or other special issuance.
You may be eligible for an online passport renewal if:
You were already issued a passport.The passport is undamaged and in your possession.It expired fewer than five years ago.You can pay with a credit or debit card.You have a tourist passport.
Refer to the US Department of State’s website for a complete list of requirements. Anyone who is eligible for online renewal is also likely to be eligible for renewal by mail. People under the age of 25 are not eligible for online renewal. An updated photo is required for online renewal. Luckily, you can have someone snap your portrait with a smartphone. No one nearby to help? Try using the timer function on your phone. The photo needs to be clear, in color, and feature your face in the middle of the frame against a white background. No hats, glasses, or smiles! Have a blank expression without shadows covering your face and stare directly at the camera. Even if you’re having a bad acne day, no filters or photo alterations are permitted. The photo must be a JPEG file with a minimum size of 600 x 600 pixels. Only photos that fully adhere to the guidelines are accepted. First, you need to sign up for a MyTravelGov account in order to renew your passport online. When you visit the government website to sign up, you will be asked to read and accept a Privacy Act statement. Input your name, email address, home address, and a unique password. Then, open your email inbox, locate the activation email, and click on the provided hyperlink. From my experience, the hyperlink may take you to an error page. After clicking out of the error page, a second email arrived in my inbox confirming the account was created. Now you wait. (Remember this step for later!) There is a section labeled Welcome to MyTravelGov on the homepage where you will see the option to apply for a consular report of birth abroad. This is not the form you want to fill out, but this section is where the blue Renew Passport button should appear after your account is fully registered. After clicking Renew Passport, tap the button in the top right corner that reads Start New Application. Look through the following pages to confirm your eligibility and review the disclaimers. Before moving on to the next step, go ahead and locate the physical copy of your expired passport. Enter the requested information from your passport. If you have a passport card in addition to your passport booklet, fill out the information from both. People who are eligible will be asked to share more information on their travel plans, select a type of passport, confirm their personal information, and upload the appropriate selfie. Depending on when you try to renew online, it’s possible that you may have to wait until more slots open up the following month. You can save the application for later once you begin, although you are required to complete the entire submission in under a month. Need more time? Just start a new application. The fees for online renewal are similar to what you would pay at a physical location. A passport book costs $130, and a passport card costs $30. Note that if you only have one form of passport, and you would like the other kind, then you are required to purchase both. For example, if you have an expired book and would just like to receive a card, that is not possible online. You can either purchase the book or buy both types for $160. Now for the biggest wait of them all. The website reads: “Our processing times are a range.” From the day you apply, it could be around two weeks before the submission is active in the system. After that, the passport could arrive seven to 10 weeks later. You may be given the option to pay an extra $60 for a quicker result, which could potentially cut the wait time down a couple of weeks. While there is a way to see the status of mail applications online, it does not currently work for digital renewals. With that in mind, you can expect four email updates to land in your inbox informing you when the application is received, in process, approved, and shipped. Make sure to double-check those spam folders. Even though it’s not an enjoyable experience, the sooner you stop procrastinating and renew your passport the better.
