By Morayo Ogunbayo
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Renewing your passport can be tedious, whether by mail or in person. Don’t fret, however, because the U.S. State Department announced last week that it’s streamlining the process.
For the first time, the State Department is opening an online passport renewal process, after a pilot program successfully tested the process earlier this year.
“We expect five million Americans to be able to use this every year,” Rena Bitter, assistant secretary of state at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, told ABC News.
Adults 25 and older who have had a passport before are eligible.
First, you have to create an account on the State Department website and enter the info from your old passport. Next, you have to explain your upcoming travel plans and, after checking out with a credit card, voila! You have renewed your passport.
Getting your picture on your new passport is as easy as everything else. All you need to do is have a a photo taken on your phone in front of a white background and upload it. The only rule is no selfies.
“The process of applying for a passport online will be much more convenient for Americans,” Bitter told ABC News.
The new change comes after higher numbers of Americans have begun traveling internationally. Last year, international trips reached pre-pandemic levels, according to Forbes.
Just last year, the State Department issued and processed 24 million passports, the agency told ABC News.
While much of the hard work of passport renewal is gone, processing times have remained the same. You still may have to wait six to eight weeks before your new passport is in your hands. However, the State Department told ABC News those wait times have been shortened for many Americans recently.
If you would like to expedite the passport renewal process, however, you will still have to do it by mail or in person.
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