When the U.S. State Department introduced an online passport renewal system in September, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. My passport was expiring in June 2025 and I had an international trip planned for December. Since I’m a master procrastinator, I knew I would put my passport renewal off until the last possible minute.
After all, there are so many components to take care of: Go to CVS, get your picture taken, agonize about how awful it looks, fill out the application, mail it in, then hope it arrives in time. When I found out I could renew my passport online, I knew I’d be knocking this off my to-do list much faster. In fact, the process was so fast and convenient, I wanted to share my experience with you all.
When traveling abroad, your passport has to be valid for at least six months. Mine was set to expire close to six months before a planned international trip, so I was cutting it very close.
If you’re looking to renew your passport, here are a few things you should know about the process:
My Experience renewing my passport online
The last time I renewed my passport in 2015, I did it via mail and got it back in about two weeks. Not bad, considering it was a few weeks prior to the busy holiday travel season. I looked into online passport renewal because it’s much more convenient, though the processing times were the same as renewal-by-mail.
In any case, I looked into the online renewal process and was surprised at how easy it was. You can even take your own photo, which was going to save me a trip to CVS (and years of “ugh, I hate my passport picture”). So I completed my application, expecting my photo to be rejected and the entire process to be drawn out and painful. To my surprise, I received an application status update one day later: My application (and photo) had been approved.
I was informed routine service could take 6-8 weeks, though I should expect to receive my passport one week later. Needless to say, I was skeptical and kept my expectations low. A day later, I got another notification saying my new passport had been mailed out via First Class Mail. A mere six days later, my passport was delivered. In all, it took 13 days from application to delivery, which is incredible considering I requested standard processing.
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Requirements for online passport renewal
Not everyone is eligible to renew their U.S. passport online. You have to meet the following requirements, per the State Department website:
- You’re at least 25 years old and your current passport was valid for 10 years
- The passport you’re renewing was issued between 2009-2015
- You’re not changing your name, date or brith, place of birth or gender
- You’re not traveling at least six weeks from your application submission date
- You’re renewing a tourist passport. Diplomatic, official and service passports aren’t eligible for online renewal.
- You live in a U.S. state or territory (you’re not eligible if you have an Army Post, Fleet Post or Diplomatic Post Office address).
- You’re in possession of your passport and it’s not damaged, mutilated or reported lost/stolen. Note: You don’t have to mail your passport as part of the application process.
- You can pay the passport renewal fee with a credit or debit card.
- You can upload a digital passport photo.
It’s important to note that once you submit your online passport renewal application, your current passport is no longer valid. You can’t use it to travel internationally. So even if you have more than six months of validity left, that ends the minute you submit your application. Don’t renew unless you’re ok being without a passport for a while.
Digital photo requirements for online passport renewal
As part of your online U.S. passport renewal, you have to upload a digital photo. The good news is that you don’t have to schlep to a CVS, deal with a surly staffer who doesn’t wanna be taking your photo but does it anyway without even looking at the end result and then refusing to retake a bad photo.
You can take your own photo on your phone and upload it. Just don’t use filters or AI and make your entire body is facing the camera.Below is a summary of the digital passport photo requirements. You can get the full details with examples online.
- No selfies
- No textured background, lines or objects
- White or off-white background without shadows
- Clear, no blurriness or poor lighting
Technical requirements
- At least 600 x 600 pixels
- JPEG file only
- File size between 54 KB-10 MB
- Must be from the last six months
- Leave space above and below your head, including your torso (i.e. no super-close up photos)
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The cost of online passport renewal
The cost of renewing a passport online is $130 for the passport book and another $30 if you want a passport card.
You can also request expedited shipping for a $21.36 fee.
Online passport renewal processing times
The processing times appeared to be the same for online passport renewal vs. mail. If you’re really in a rush, you can renew in person at a passport agency. You’ll pay a $60 expedited service fee, but it might be necessary if you’re worried about it arriving on time for an international trip.
Renewed my passport online and my new one arrived today. It only took 13 days via regular processing. 🤯
— Ariana Arghandewal (@PointChaser) October 16, 2024
Have you tried renewing your passport online? How long did yours take? pic.twitter.com/mE7NvPmXaV
How to renew your passport online (step by step)
The process for renewing your passport online is surprisingly straightforward. That being said, I did go about it wrong and was initially told I don’t qualify for online renewal. I’m sure it had something to do with me entering the wrong expiration date. I tried again and was told I did qualify for online renewal.
Once you’ve determined you meet the eligibility requirements, follow these steps to renew your U.S. passport online:
- Step 1: Gather the documents. You’ll need your current passport and a valid photo in order to renew your passport online. Have these handy so you can complete the application quickly.
- Step 2: Create your MyTravelGov account. If you don’t already have a MyTravelGov account, you’ll need to set one up. On the Consular Affairs portal, select “complete profile” and provide the required information.
- Step 3: Fill out the online passport renewal form. On the MyTravelGov page, select “Renew Your Passport” under “Consular Services.” Review the application requirements and click “Start.” The disclaimer states the application will take up to 40 minutes to complete but probably took me under 20 minutes.
- Step 4: Review the “Eligibility” criteria. Select each checkbox to confirm they apply to you.
- Step 5: Provide information about your current passport. Including name, passport number and expiration date.
- Step 6: Choose your passport type and processing time. Routine processing is the only option available for online renewal. However, you can request expedited shipping for an additional $21.36 fee. It speeds up delivery from 3-5 days to 1-2 days. I chose the regular passport book, routine processing and standard delivery.
- Step 7: Answer questions about upcoming travel. You’ll answer questions about whether you have any upcoming travel plans. If you’re planning to travel internationally within six weeks, you’re ineligible to renew online. Your current passport will become invalid as soon as you submit your application. So even though you’re not mailing your passport off, you still can’t use it to travel.
- Step 8: Upload a digital photo. You’ll need to upload a passport photo that meets the outlined requirements closely (see above). I used a photo I took on my phone months ago. It met all the criteria, except the background wasn’t white. So I removed the background and uploaded that version. It was accepted.
- Step 9: Pay the renewal fee. The cost of renewing a U.S. passport is $130 and another $30 for the passport card. Accepted payment methods include debit and credit cards issued by Visa, Mastercard American Express, and Discover.
- Step 10: Submit your application. Review the confirmation message and select “Finish.”
You’ll want to keep an eye out for an email about your application status. If your photo isn’t approved, for example, you’ll want to address that soon so it doesn’t hold up your passport renewal.
Despite the 48-72 hour disclaimer, my approval email arrived the next day and my passport was mailed out the day after. That this isn’t necessarily the norm and could take longer if you’re applying before a busy holiday travel season. Not many people travel abroad during Thanksgiving, which is why I suspect my renewal was so fast.
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Tips for online passport renewal
If you’re looking to renew your U.S. passport online, there are a few things you can do to ensure it goes smoothly and your passport arrives on time. For starters, make sure you have your current passport on hand and it hasn’t been reported missing.
Next, you wanto ensure you have a photo that meets the requirements. You can take your own photo, but make sure it meets the requirements (mainly, no selfies or filters).
Lastly, check the status of your application to make sure the provided information hasn’t been flagged. For example, if your photo is rejected then you’ll have to resubmit your application. You want to catch these errors as soon as they’re reported.
Sometimes emails end up in the spam, so if you don’t hear back within 48 hours, I recommend checking your application status on the passport status page.
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Final thoughts
My experience renewing my U.S. passport online was smooth and seamless. I was completely surprised at how smooth (and convenient) the process was and how fast the new passport arrived in the mail. Furthermore, I appreciate that the State Department is letting us use and upload our own photos. Being able to take my own passport photo from the comfort of my home took a bit of hassle out of the process – I know if I hadn’t been able to do that, I would’ve put this off for a few weeks.
While the website indicates renewals could take 6-8 weeks, I was pleasantly surprised that it only took a fraction of that time. In general, I’ve found that to be the case: They tend to overestimate how long it takes, understandably so people can plan for the worst case scenario.
Online passport renewal has been long overdue: It’s the 21st century and countries like Singapore, Finland and the UK allow this process to be done online. The U.S. was frankly lagging behind.
