US to enter digital age with passport renewals

As of Sept. 18, anyone wishing to renew a U.S. passport will be able to do so online 24 hours a day, seven days a week at travel.state.gov

The U.S. Department of State has been trialing the process, according to Journal files, and originally planned to introduce online applications in 2023, it said in 2022.

But now the process is up and running.

The U.S. Department of State. Courtesy of the State Department

“Instead of printing a paper application and mailing it with a check, Americans can now renew their passports through a secure process that will save time and effort,” the U.S. Department of State said in a release.

The new service will allow Americans to pay, upload a photo and apply completely online with no need to appear in person or to send documents through the mail. It’s available to renew an adult 10-year passport that has expired within the last five years or will expire in the coming year.

For residents of Guam that means their applications will not have to be routed through Hawaii, which adds more time to the process.

Residents of Guam who can do so have been making appointments and renewing at passport offices in the U.S. mainland and have been able to get their passports in as little as two hours, according to Journal sources.

In fiscal 2023, 15,510 passport applications were made from Guam, according to the state department, an increase from fiscal 2022, when 14,265 applications were made.

In fiscal 2023, 3,201 passport applications were made from the Northern Mariana Islands, a decrease from fiscal 2022, when 3,341 applications were made.

In fiscal 2023, 21,577,377 passport applications were made in the United States, according to the state department. That was an increase from fiscal 2022, when 18,693,257 applications were made.

According to a state department media briefing on Sept. 18 with the assistant secretary from the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs, about 5 million Americans will use the new process.

The state department notes, “Many customers apply for both passport books and cards at the same time, which means that residents may have two passports.”

However, the state department has only just begun its digital process to catch up to other countries, since the online process is limited.

Anyone applying for a new passport rather than a renewal, or for a passport for a minor or child under 16 years of age, or aged 16 and 17 will still have to go through the paper application, according to the media briefing. And the process is not available to those who want to shorten or expedite their renewal.
In the media briefing, the online renewal was called “a first step.”

The online application is only available to residents of the U.S., but the Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation and the already has a link on its website highlighting the new process to apply online

The Bureau of Consular Affairs confirmed to the Journal that residents of Guam and the U.S. territories can also apply online.

The plus for those living overseas is that American consulates can issue passports in a matter of days.

Passport issuance for online applications will still take six to eight weeks for a “routine” passport.
However, applicants who renew online will not have to submit their expiring passport, which is requested and typically returned to them with a paper application.
Applicants requesting an expedited passport application, which typically takes two to three weeks will also not be able to apply online.

Applicants can also apply for a Passport Card at the same time. According to the state department, “The U.S. passport card is a wallet-sized, plastic passport that has no visa pages. The card is proof of U.S. citizenship and identity and has the same length of validity as the passport book. The card is for U.S. citizens who travel by land and sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and Caribbean countries.”

The card is not valid for international travel by air according to the state department. However, it is validated as a Real ID, and therefore acceptable for domestic flights and for applications to federal facilities, for example for access to U.S. bases in Guam.

According to Journal files, in 2020, the Guam Passport Office at the Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation office’s two to three employees processed between 60 and 70 passport applications a day, five days a week.

The Journal attempted to get an update on those figures by email and more than once by phone but received no response.

The American Passport Renewal Center in Mangilao also offers passport renewal services, as well as other services to assist applicants.

The most digitalized passport services in the world are Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, Finland and the U.K., all of which allow renewals for minors and expedited passports to be conducted online.

Ireland, Singapore, Finland and the U.K. charge less for a passport renewal online. mbj

US to enter digital age with passport renewals