Renewing a U.S. passport used to mean printing a form, finding a check and mailing your old passport off in an envelope. If you qualify, you can now do the whole thing online through the State Department’s website, with a digital photo and a debit or credit card.
Fall is a good time to do it. The State Department says demand peaks between late winter and summer, so applying from October through December may get you a passport faster. Here’s how online renewal works, who can use it and what it costs.
First, check that you qualify
Online renewal has stricter rules than renewing by mail. You can use it only if all of the following are true:
- Your last passport was a 10-year passport.
- It expires within the next year, or expired less than five years ago.
- Your name hasn’t changed. It has to match your most recent passport exactly, including spelling, hyphens and spacing.
- You aren’t traveling abroad in the next eight weeks. Online renewal is for routine service, so it’s not the right tool for a trip coming up soon.
- Your mailing address is in a U.S. state or territory. APO and FPO addresses can’t be used.
There’s one more catch: you can renew a passport book, a passport card or both, but you can’t add a card you didn’t have before (or a book you didn’t have before) through the online system. If you only had a book, you can renew only the book online.
If you don’t meet the rules, you can usually still renew by mail with Form DS-82, or apply in person with Form DS-11 if you aren’t eligible to renew at all. The State Department’s site walks you through which route applies.
What it costs
Adult renewal fees are the same online and by mail, according to the State Department’s fee page:
- Passport book: $130
- Passport card: $30
- Book and card together: $160
- Expedited service (optional): $60 extra
- Faster return delivery for a book (optional): an extra fee, listed on the fees page
Online, you pay with a credit or debit card, which the State Department says is the fastest option. Bank transfers (ACH) are also accepted but take longer to process.
Get your photo right
Photo problems are one of the easiest ways to slow down an application, so it pays to be fussy. For online renewal you upload an original digital photo as a JPEG file. The general passport photo rules still apply:
- Taken within the last six months.
- A plain white or off-white background, with no shadows, patterns or objects. Stand a few feet in front of the wall to avoid shadows.
- Face the camera with a neutral expression, both eyes open and mouth closed.
- No glasses, sunglasses or hats, unless you need a head covering for religious or medical reasons.
- Sharp and in color: not blurry, grainy or pixelated.
- No filters or edits. The State Department specifically says the photo must be unedited, and that includes AI-based changes.
If you have your photo taken at a store, ask whether you can get a digital file as well as prints, since the online system needs the digital version.
How to renew online, step by step
1. Gather what you need
Have your current passport in front of you, your digital photo saved on your computer or phone, and a card for payment. Set aside about half an hour.
2. Sign in to MyTravelGov
Go to the “Renew my passport online” page on travel.state.gov and sign in to MyTravelGov using a Login.gov account. If you don’t have one, you’ll be asked to create it. Then click Renew Your Passport.
3. Confirm your eligibility and details
The system checks that your passport qualifies and that your name matches. Choose whether you’re renewing a book, a card or both.
4. Upload your photo
Upload the JPEG. Look at it once more before you move on: a shadow on the background or glare on your face is easier to fix now than after a rejection.
5. Finish the application within 30 days
You can save your progress, but you have 30 days to complete the application once you start. Double-check your mailing address, since that’s where your new passport will go.
6. Pay
Payment goes through Pay.gov, the federal government’s payment site. This is also where you add expedited service or faster delivery if you want them.
7. Keep your old passport, but don’t use it
This surprises people. You don’t mail your old passport in, but once you submit, the State Department cancels it. Don’t try to travel on it. Put it somewhere safe; it’s still a useful record.
How long it takes
As of early October, the State Department lists routine processing at four to six weeks and expedited processing at two to three weeks. Those times don’t include delivery, and the agency says it can take up to two weeks for your passport to reach you after it’s mailed. An online application skips the first leg, the time a paper application spends in the mail on the way in.
Add those together and a realistic total for routine service, from the day you submit to the day the passport arrives, is roughly six to eight weeks. Expedited service cuts that to about four to five weeks. If you have a trip on the calendar, work backward from those numbers and leave yourself some slack.
Processing times change, so check the official page before you plan around them. If you need to travel internationally within 14 days, the State Department says you’ll need an appointment at a passport agency or center instead.
Online or by mail?
If you qualify for both, online renewal has some clear advantages. There’s no form to print, no envelope to track and no check to write, and you keep your old passport in your hands instead of trusting it to the mail. The photo is uploaded rather than stapled to paper.
Mail renewal still makes sense in a few cases: if your name has changed, if you want to add a passport card for the first time, or if your old passport doesn’t meet the online rules. The fees are the same either way, so pick the route that fits your situation.
Small mistakes that cause delays
Most of the rules above exist because they trip people up. Before you hit submit, run through this short list:
- Does the name you entered match your current passport character for character?
- Is the photo recent, unedited and free of shadows and glasses?
- Is the mailing address complete, including any apartment number?
- Did you finish within 30 days of starting?
Track your application
About a week after you apply, you can sign up for email updates through the Online Passport Status System. You’ll get notices as your application moves through review, approval and shipping.
A few tips
- Look at your expiration date now. Then check your destination’s entry requirements on travel.state.gov, since passport validity rules vary by country. Don’t wait until the last month.
- Plan around holiday travel. If you’re flying abroad in December, the eight-week cutoff for online renewal means you’d need to apply by mid-October.
- Use the official site only. The real application lives on travel.state.gov and payments go through Pay.gov. If a site asks for a “service fee” on top of the government fees, you’re in the wrong place.
- Set a reminder for next time. A 10-year passport is easy to forget about. Put a note in your calendar for about a year before the new one expires, so you can renew online again without a rush.
- Take a screenshot of your confirmation. It’s handy if you need to check on your application later.
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