I Renewed My US Passport in a Week Using the Government's Rapid Online Beta

You may have heard that you can now renew your U.S. passport online. As long as you meet certain requirements, there’s a beta website for that. The State Department told me it’s not necessarily faster, but anecdotally, my family just had two of the quickest, most painless experiences we’ve ever had with the U.S. government.

I applied from my phone, took my own digital photo at home, and a week later picked up my new passport from the post office. I submitted it on June 15, my passport was issued on June 20, and it was waiting for me on the 21st. That's only six days in total.

When my wife tried it, her renewal was even faster: she applied on June 24, her application was approved on the 26th, her new passport was shipped on the 27th, and it was ready for pickup on the 29th. Just five days, including shipping.

Plus, we didn't have to pay for an envelope or postage, or send our passports. I even used my old passport as a photo ID when I picked up the new one.

First of all, you should know that it won't always be that fast.

During the beta phase, the U.S. State Department is voluntarily limiting the number of people who can apply each day, and principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel tells me that’s why my response time has been so fast. The beta has only served tens of thousands of people so far, not millions yet!

The State Department hopes to shave one to two weeks off the processing time because there is no need to mail a passport and online payments are processed quickly, Patel wrote, but the one-week delays are likely to disappear as the department increases the number of people allowed to enter.

Officially, the services still expect a delay of six to eight weeks for a routine service, as before the start of the pandemic. The delay to obtain a passport will be the same as for a renewal by mail, the website warns.

Second, you can only renew your passport online, based on the simplest criteria. You must be 25 or older, a current resident of the United States, and renewing a regular 10-year tourist passport issued between 2009 and 2015. You cannot change your name, gender, date or place of birth, and you must have your old passport on hand. Here is a more complete list of requirements.

Third, you need to reserve a slot. You need to create a Login.gov account and visit this website every day around 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET to see if you can get in. You will usually see this special message below Renew your passport if that day's slot is already closed:

When I checked at 1:37 p.m. ET, the window was still open, but it is now closed, an hour later. Image: State Department website

Once you're registered, you don't need to complete your application right away; the website automatically saved where I left off. Even if you don't have a passport photo ready, go ahead and get that spot!

Fourth, you may need a hand to take a valid ID photo; selfies won't work because your arms need to be at your sides in the frame. I had to search my house for an off-white background with plenty of light, but they didn't reject my photo because there was visible wall texture in the background.

Here's the passport photo I hastily sent. (I took it while remotely controlling an Osmo Pocket 3 with my phone since my wife was busy.) Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Fifth, you may not be able to plan international travel until your new passport arrives, even if it takes longer than expected; the State Department says your current passport will be canceled after you submit the online application, even if it would have still been valid for a while.

According to Patel, the State Department estimates that 5 million people will be able to renew their passports online each year once the program is fully launched. That's two-thirds of all U.S. passport renewals.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/3/24190366/us-passport-online-renewal-beta-fast The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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