Americans will soon be able to renew passports online

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/americans-will-soon-be-able-to-renew-passports-online

by avonmach • 4 years ago

124 195 4 years ago

For anyone not reading the article, if you have a non-expired passport, you can already do everything online. Except! You need to mail in your current passport.

There are also expedited processing options. The ones I saw last year weren't terribly expensive.

Edit: Fastest is 3 days, if you have emergency that qualifies. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fas...

jrochkind12• 4 years ago

That's interesting, the OP was I guess not quite right on this.

Not having to mail in your current passport is huge though. I hate being without a passport for the 2-3 months it currently takes, even if I have no travel planned (and what if I did?).

ghaff2• 4 years ago

There were a lot of major delays during the pandemic. Otherwise, you can get a new passport very quickly but you might want to pay a visa/passport service to handle it for you--although I'm not sure they add a lot of value these days.

atdrummond2• 4 years ago

You can get same day passport at a State Department office. Even without an appointment, if you’re willing to risk not being seen that day.

thinkharderdev• 4 years ago

Did that recently change? I had to renew my passport at the office this year and it was very strictly by appointment only.

gonehome3• 4 years ago

Where are you seeing the ability to do it online? You can't as far as I can tell (I just did it).

"Currently, the process requires filling out a renewal application called DS-82, providing a passport-sized photo, and calculating fees, plus tossing the current passport and potentially other identification papers in the mail. “It’s scary to mail in your [old] passport, marriage certificate, and other documents and hope you’ll get them back,” Rathner says."

You need to print the forms, staple a proper photo to them, and mail all your crap via USPS. The only thing you can do online is print the form (you can fill in the data first, but that's not the hard part).

When I hear "you can already do everything online" I think click submit and be done. You can't currently do that. It's barely a step above picking up the forms at USPS (where you have to go anyway).

mattkrause• 4 years ago

There was a beta website that let you do the most straightfoward sorts of renewals online (renewing a "normal" passport and having it shipped to the US).

kayodelycaon3• 4 years ago

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-pa...

In the right sidebar:

    Passport Forms
    DS-82: Renewal Application
    Fill Out Online

From what I recall, I was able to submit everything electronically and mail in my passport by itself.

atyppo2• 4 years ago

I've heard of people with appointments at 8AM and a passport being delivered to their door by 10AM in emergency situations. Not hard to contact your congressperson to get this done. They love this as it involves almost no effort and is great PR.

Arrath• 4 years ago

Yup, my dad was able to arrange this once.

matwood• 4 years ago

You just have book an appointment and get to a consulate. We were going overseas with some friends and a few nights before, one of the people realized their passport was so close to expiring they were likely to be denied entry (many times countries will not let you in if your passport could expire while you're there). They booked an emergency appt. in ATL, drove the 6ish hours, then got their flights changed to leave from ATL. They got it same day if I remember correctly, and flew out that night or the next morning.

sidewndr46• 4 years ago

If by "do everything online" you mean print out a few forms and go do it in person, then yep you can do it online!

apaprocki• 4 years ago

For my qualifying emergency I called the duty officer, explained the situation, selected a 9am appointment, spent not even 10 minutes in the passport office and was told to come back to pick it up at 2pm. Walked in and was handed an envelope in less than a minute. Most pleasant government experience, by far — it just doesn’t scale.

tombert• 4 years ago

My passport was expired in 2019, and I had a trip to Germany, meaning I had to renew it.

I was actually amazed how efficient the system for passports was. I mailed in my old passport and a new photo, and in less than a week I had a brand new passport arrive in the mail. The process was actually pleasantly painless for me.

Victerius2• 4 years ago

It's nice not to have to provide external references to renew your passport. Canadian passport holders have to provide two references to renew their Canadian passport. I'm a birth citizen and have never lived anywhere else. And my reference couldn't be family members. As an introvert, it wasn't easy, but I managed to find two people.

The Canadian government should abolish the requirement to provide references to renew a passport. It's pointless and creates a burden for people who are not extroverts with dozens of friends.

bogota4• 4 years ago

Wow that is a really stupid rule I wonder what they are trying to accomplish with that. More unnecessary government crap.

kayodelycaon3• 4 years ago

It gives them more data to work with because they can background check your references. And plenty of people will pick someone who won't vouch for them.

refurb5• 4 years ago

Tons of fraud is why.

Ekaros2• 4 years ago

I can understand referrals for new passport, but for renewing that is just strange...

diebeforei4853• 4 years ago

That is strange for renewals, but also- is there anything specific they are able to vouch for you? Like your place of birth, current residence and workplace, things like that? Or is it simply someone you know?

a_square_peg2• 4 years ago

Yeah - this is was(?) a silly rule. I just looked it up though and it looks like this has changed? Not sure when this happened.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/se...

Victerius2• 4 years ago

The requirements is still there: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/se...

cosentiyes4• 4 years ago

I went through this process the other day with an expired passport and it took two weeks from submitting my documents online to getting a new passport and passport card. I had paid for expedited processing and shipping. Overall a great experience.

Aaargh203183• 4 years ago

That sounds like a terrible experience to be honest. Two weeks for the expedited procedure ? The normal procedure here (Netherlands) takes 5 working days. If you pay for the expedited procedure and you order one before 14:00 you can pick up your passport the next day after 10:00.

cosentiyes4• 4 years ago

I don't think 2-5 (if not expedited) weeks is too unreasonable for something you need to do once every 10 years. I have no idea what is actually entailed in the process, but maybe population size accounts for the timing difference. As another comment said, if you really need it rushed (ie have a valid reason) and your passport has not expired, the time is as short as 3 days.

vonzepp• 4 years ago

Did my Irish passport recently, it was all online. Your old passport is rendered null once your new one is issued.

spacedcowboy4• 4 years ago

I renewed my UK passport from 6000 miles away in sunny CA. Took a week for it to arrive. Just been to the post office to renew the kids US passport which requires both parents to be there or notarized documents to say why not. Estimated delivery is 14 weeks.

My (US) wife continues to be in awe of the UK services compared to the US. I just wish the bus would come on time when I'm over there...

Dobbs2• 4 years ago

Isn't the both parents required to be there to stop kidnapping and other issues?

notch656a13• 4 years ago

Yeah but it's a retarded rule. The other parent can sail the kid into international waters and back without a passport, this prevents nothing. If someone's willing to kidnap a child this does absolutely nothing to stop them, except make sure any international border crossing is done in the most dangerous ways possible.

diebeforei4853• 4 years ago

I think passports are seen as a normal thing to have in other countries. In the US, the government seems to consider it a thing you only apply for if you have specific plans to travel soon.

Other countries might require presence or a signed affidavit from both parents when the child is actually flying out of the country.

throwayyy4790874• 4 years ago

Yes, and parental kidnapping is a real issue that happens fairly frequently. This is a reasonable policy - it might not be in a smaller country but if you're in Missouri and getting a passport for a kid, you are going a long distance no matter what.

refurb5• 4 years ago

My friend renewed US passport overseas at a consulate last month.

Had new passport in hand one week later. Regular service.

They can be fast if they want to.

throwaway8943454• 4 years ago

You can also renew your US passport online provided it hasn’t expired. Not sure what the delivery window is.

jaywalk2• 4 years ago

No, you can't. This article is literally about how they're going to roll out online renewals for US passports in a few months.

mrwh• 4 years ago

Me too - the estimate was 11 weeks, but start to finish the whole process took three, and I was able to take my own passport photo at home. A pleasant surprise!

Thaxll• 4 years ago

How can it takes only one week in a different country? Sounds weird, or maybe they're being printed in the US?

bpye• 4 years ago

They’re not printed in the US, but it’s totally possible to courier something from Europe to the US in 24 hours, maybe 48.

snovv_crash• 4 years ago

Same day printing and DHL express would makes 1 week easily achievable.

quag2• 4 years ago

Mine was printed in another country and shipped 7200 miles to me in under a week for a $18 delivery fee.

atyppo2• 4 years ago

Many countries have passport blanks in every embassy. They're some of the most tightly controlled documents in the world given they could be used to print new, seemingly valid passports for anyone (if that country doesn't info share with the other, that is). No clue if they're being printed within the US in UK's situation, however.

spacedcowboy4• 4 years ago

Delivered, accepted, sent for printing, and posted by courier from the UK, all with text messages to keep me informed of progress.

quag2• 4 years ago

From the USA it was faster (1 week), cheaper, and easier (all online, all digital, no mailing anything in) to renew my New Zealand passport, than it was to renew the US passport for the little one.

We were left with the impression that the USA just doesn’t care about improving these things. So it’s nice to see that the improvements are coming, they just took a while.

diogenescynic• 4 years ago

We were left with the impression that the USA just doesn’t care about improving these things.

I don't think our politicians actually care. They prefer to fight culture wars and pay lip service to real issues.

pjc503• 4 years ago

We were left with the impression that the USA just doesn’t care about improving these things.

The anti-statism in the US turns readily into "if you interact with the state, it should be a miserable underfunded experience" rather than "since it has to happen, we're going to make it easy and convenient so as not to consume too much time, money and energy from our citizens"

(unless a libertarian wants to argue that the US should simply not issue passports at all and .. leave it up to private enterprise somehow?)

hn_throwaway_99• 4 years ago

Unfortunately the political dynamic in the US ensures that most federal government services will remain in shambles.

On one side there is a party that actively believes that "government is the problem", and does its best to prove that by deliberately kneecapping government agencies. Just look at the recent debate over the IRS. I mean, I don't like being taxed anymore than anyone else, but I think a professional, competent IRS is a clear necessity for funding the federal government.

On the other side there is a fear of getting branded "socialist", or just proposing things that will never come to pass, so what we are often left with is these Frankenstein "private-public" partnerships that are usually the worst of all possible worlds. E.g. you have the case where student loans are made by private institutions (or at least non-federal ones), but then then federal government guarantees them. So what we've built up is an incentive structure that makes college as expensive as possible, as student debt can't be discharged in bankruptcy, and even if it is discharged by the feds, it is the feds who are left holding the bag. Lenders and colleges are just incentivized to charge as much as possible because they are made whole no matter what.

BurningFrog• 4 years ago

My impression as an immigrant is that Americans are great when working in private organizations. Effective, helpful and friendly.

But give them a government job enforcing anything, and they become the polar opposite somehow.

There may be a little of that in my home country, but nowhere near this extreme.

So it’s nice to see that the improvements are coming, they just took a while.

This is one single improvement, long overdue. I wouldn't extrapolate to anything else.

grasshopperpurp• 4 years ago

I think "little one" = your child and not a passport card? If so, minors can't renew the way adults can and must meet with an agent - similar to an adult getting a new passport. Idk how these standards are set, but unless something changes, renewing online will likely be limited to adults.

Agree with your sentiments about the current process and hopes for improvement.

galaxyLogic2• 4 years ago

What bugs be is the common impression that "USA" is this or that or "USA wants" this or that.

USA is (more or less) a democracy so which party is in power at the time determines what "USA wants".

leephillips• 4 years ago

Have you encountered US busses that come on time?

spacedcowboy4• 4 years ago

There are busses in the US ? Been here almost 20 years and car, car, car as far as the eye can see…

brewdad4• 4 years ago

Only in cities with dedicated bus lanes. Otherwise the buses are stuck in the same traffic as the cars.

corobo• 4 years ago

All the bus services I know of at least have GPS in their respective apps now.

Doesn't solve the issue but you can see how long it'll take and impress old people by knowing where the bus is :)

babypuncher• 4 years ago

A not insignificant portion of our population buys into the myth that government is fundamentally incapable of providing timely and cost-effective services like this. As a result, there is little motivation to fix or improve these processes and instead we end up squabbling over whether to eliminate or privatize them. This turns the myth into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

bobthepanda• 4 years ago

Also, some of these improvements would take an initial investment that would pay off over time (and possibly lower running costs over time) but that doesn't mesh well with the "lower my taxes/starve the beast" crowd.

egypturnash• 4 years ago

Deliberately starving public services so that they get shitty enough to consider eliminating or privatizing them has been going on since at least the Reagan years. Probably longer, but that’s when one of his advisors said the infamous line about wanting a government “small enough to drown in a bathtub”.

skrtskrt• 4 years ago

In the US, the only time the average person interacts with the government (that they notice, so not like roads an air traffic control) is filing taxes and going to the DMV which are both terrible experiences in the US. This shapes everyone's view of what the government is capable of.

ejb999• 4 years ago

>A not insignificant portion of our population buys into the myth that government is fundamentally incapable of providing timely and cost-effective services like this.

but in this case, they are not 'providing timely and cost-effective services', so is it really a myth?

cmurf• 4 years ago

They know the truth. It can be competent if the citizenry good it accountable to being competent. The myth is that the disinterested citizen isn't responsible, and it's socially acceptable to shift the blame away from themselves.

chrismcb• 4 years ago

How is it a myth? Yes I was able to get my passport in a day, in person, after paying a bunch of money But most things take forever. Can it be done in a timely manner? Perhaps, but the government hasn't shown much evidence that it is capable

CodeWriter23• 4 years ago

It’s amazing how much easier things are when you’re at 20% the scale of a larger operation.

chrisseaton2• 4 years ago

Don't things normally get more efficient with scale?

sofixa• 4 years ago

That's a very shitty excuse. Those things can scale, and get more efficient with scale, especially when you have multiple times the revenue too.

pfranz• 4 years ago

I do think it's worth noting for kids in the US there is no "renewal." Each time it's considered a new application.

dhosek• 4 years ago

My wife is a Mexican citizen. Last time she needed to renew her passport, she went to the consulate and came home with a new passport the same day. It seemed like some sort of black magic to me.

throwayyy4790874• 4 years ago

I pray that Mexico gets the situation around corruption and cartels under control. It's such a beautiful culture, nation, and Mexicans are lovely people.

nerdface• 4 years ago

Yeah same here when I renewed my kids' UK passports from CA. It took a week, all online/mail.

tomrod• 4 years ago

Things are improving in the US. Energy.gov just released the IT Scaling playbook for Govt digital services

CalRobert4• 4 years ago

Next make the fees non-extortionate.

My kid's Irish passport costs €25 to renew. Her US passport is €130.

We wouldn't even bother with the US one except that it's illegal for her to enter the US on anything but a US passport. If we showed up with her Consular Report of Birth Abroad (which proves her US citizenship) could they legally refuse her entry to the US? I don't know.

But €130 to enter a country of which you're a citizen is annoying.

dataflow8• 4 years ago

illegal for her to enter the US on anything but a US passport

From what I recall reading on the internet (don't blame me if it's wrong), it's "illegal" but there's no actual penalty on the books. Apparently they scold you and give you a hard time, but let you pass through, since citizens are required to be allowed entry. (And I mean, consider what if you lost your passport during your trip?) I don't personally know anyone who's actually tried this so I have no idea how true it is in reality.

orangepurple• 4 years ago

How would you board your aircraft without a valid travel document? The air carriers won't let you.

mellavora• 4 years ago

it's "illegal" but there's no actual penalty on the books.

Actually, there is. They can deny you entry, which means you get put on the next flight back.

Not sure if that qualifies as "penalty" in you mind or not, but if we start getting pendantic, "illegal" is not always "criminal", i.e. does not universally imply crime.

refurb5• 4 years ago

I mean it’s $130 but it lasts for 5 years - 10 if you’re an adult.

That’s $26 per year or $2/month.

Dracophoenix• 4 years ago

It's a legitimate question. What exactly makes a US passport more expensive? The cost of labor, shipping, and manufacture isn't 4.5x here than that of Ireland. Even If the a US passport is less than a cup of coffee a month, that doesn't make the cost justified.

xxpor2• 4 years ago

If she's under 16, you don't need a passport (or equivalent), if entering by land or sea:

"The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires U.S. citizens, age 16 and older, to present a valid, acceptable travel document, such as a passport, a U.S. passport card, a trusted traveler card (NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry or FAST/EXPRESS), a Permanent Resident Card or an enhanced driver’s license that denotes both identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. by land or sea. U.S. citizens under age 16 may present a birth certificate or alternative proof of citizenship when entering by land or sea. All travelers must have a passport book for international air travel."

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/A5...

cbg0• 4 years ago

I doubt OP or many others are coming in by boat to the US from Europe these days.

lioeters• 4 years ago

Upvoted for thinking outside the box. Europe to US by sea.. Doesn't it take like a month?

Edit: They can go by transatlantic cruise or a cargo ship, which takes about two weeks.

throwaway8943454• 4 years ago

$13/year doesn’t seem outrageous. Anyway, it’s either funded by fee or by taxes; I’m not sure I care a lot about how I pay. Parenthetically, I also wonder if the €130 feels steeper because you’re used to a more favorable Euro:Dollar conversion rate (obviously this won’t account for the full cost difference between US and Irish passports)?

woodruffw• 4 years ago

As a nit: US minor passports last 5 years, so it's around $26/year.

mxuribe• 4 years ago

@throwaway894345 Oh wow, i guess i was brainwashed a little from another article i read yesterday that was a totally separate topic...But when i quickly glanced at your note about $13/year...my brain immediately filled in the blanks with the following marketing: Hey, for the low annual subscription cost of $13/year, you too can travel the world! Dont' just order a one-and-done passport. Order your U.S. travel subscription today, and save! U.S. State department operators are standing by to take your order! And if you order in the next 24 hours, we'll add all of your personal data to our convenience databases (managed by the CIA and NSA), and in the future as you comitt crimes, the data from these databases can be used to automatically auto-fill those pesky law enforcement forms! lol :-D (Sorry, i know that's not what you meant your comment to convey.)

CalRobert4• 4 years ago

I suppose it's more that it's closer to €55 a trip - and the conversion rate is a small part of it, really.

Even saying "passports are €130 but you can enter with proof of citizenship" would be better - it just seems bizarre to say "any citizen must be able to enter the US" and "but you MUST have a passport" and then "but not really, though we'll be super annoyed with you" as a policy.

useful• 4 years ago

Near the end of last year, I had to renew my passport that had expired. I had to travel and was in a sweet spot window where I couldn't renew it and get it in time and I couldn't just go to a passport office and get one.

I ended up having to drive to El Paso, which was the only passport office that was open in the entire United States! I had to wait until a few days before my flight. There were people from all over staying in a hotel waiting for their passport. They had standby flights to leave once they got it. I met people from California, Arizona, Michigan, New York, and Florida. It was totally ridiculous.

ghaff2• 4 years ago

Last year wasn't exactly typical. (I haven't needed it but I was very glad I renewed my passport pre-pandemic given that it was nearly out of pages even though it had a few years left.)

toomuchtodo2• 4 years ago

This is part of the White House’s executive order on improving digital service delivery.

Sec. 4. Agency Actions to Improve Customer Experience. (a) The Secretary of State shall design and deliver a new online passport renewal experience that does not require any physical documents to be mailed.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-action...

elil17• 4 years ago

Between this and open access to federally funded research it seems like we may be in for a slew of common sense executive orders ahead of the midterms. Some minor bug fixes for the federal government, if you will.

toomuchtodo2• 4 years ago

Common sense for sure, but def not 1-3 story points. More like a decent product owner at the helm now, driving product in the appropriate direction.

throwayyy4790874• 4 years ago

Governments under threat of competition produce positive results.

juliansimioni• 4 years ago

I just renewed my passport completely online through their beta program, and it was amazing. Only about two weeks from when I submitted the form to my new passport arriving. Hopefully that's the rough timeline for everyone going forward, but I wonder if they are able to process things faster right now due to lower volume.

Ekaros2• 4 years ago

Here in Finland I can order a passport or ID card online, just need to add a photo to system. But now I need to go to police station to give sample of handwriting and possibly update my fingerprints... Waste of time. They already have both, but those are too old...

notch656a13• 4 years ago

Hopefully they'll accept these ones. A few border entries ago, CBP told me they recognized my US passport but they weren't going to let me in anyway. Several hours and interrogations later they finally admitted they had to let in a US citizen, "but remember we can cancel your passport."

LOL.

InTheArena• 4 years ago

The passport process in the USA is beyond awful. I just had to renew passports for my three kids, and my wife. It took a call to my local house of representatives office (who referred me to a different rep) to make it happen after 6 months.

Anything to do with the government is beyond awful.

From a country that practically invented modern software, modern SaaS solutions, modern mobile apps, it's a total disgrace.

krapp• 4 years ago

Wow, that's crazy.

At this rate, the US will be like a modern country in no time.

Avamander• 4 years ago

Only a decade behind. Same goes with FedNow, which will be ready soon.

Who knows, maybe things are finally starting to catch up?

ugh123• 4 years ago

Just spent 2 hours at a passport office to renew. I even had an "appointment" :(

jedberg2• 4 years ago

Passports should be automatic for every American and free. I'm not sure what the downside would be, other than the relatively small cost.

ars3• 4 years ago

There is a rule somewhere that Passport processing must pay for itself with user fees, i.e. that it should not cost any taxes at all to do it.

Considering how expensive a passport is, there's something about the process that's very expensive, don't know what.

jedberg2• 4 years ago

Right, they should repeal that rule. The expense is in the verification of physical documents. But if they do this online system for everyone then the cost would go way down.

And even if it didn't, it would cost perhaps $3B a year (because they last for 10 years). That's pocket change to the US government. Not to mention the savings from dropping the RealID program, which would be unnecessary.

notch656a13• 4 years ago

If that's a great concept, they should extend that to the rest of government services.

bluedino• 4 years ago

When I got mine a few years ago, it was a process. Mailing in forms. Going to get photos taken and having to mail physical copies in. Waiting for weeks.

gourabmi• 4 years ago

I renewed my Indian passport 8000 miles away in California. The process took me around 10 days, no physical visits necessary. Honestly, I am quite impressed at the Indian passport services these days , both in the country and abroad.

ars3• 4 years ago

The whole paper process was foolish anyway - you go online to fill out an application, which then prints a bar code on the paper for them to scan. (They don't actually read the text on the form, it's all by the barcode.)

They scan the photo you send in anyway, and then print it on the passport. So they don't actually need you to ever so carefully make sure the photo is the right size.

It's like the joke about printing a document, then taking a picture of it on a wooden table: https://thedailywtf.com/articles/Web_0_0x2e_1

Just upload the info, upload a digital photo, and cut out all the paper.

open-source-ux• 4 years ago

Aisde: If you apply for a passport for the very first time, does it require someone to countersign your application? Or some means to verify you?

For example, in the UK, we have no national ID card. So, first-time passport applications and photos must be signed by someone else (the ‘countersignatory’) to prove the identity of the person applying.

(From GOV.UK) Your countersignatory must:

- have known you for at least 2 years

- be able to identify you, for example they’re a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just someone who knows you professionally)

- be ‘a person of good standing in their community’ or work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession (there is a accepted occupations for countersignatories)

The countersignatory signs one of you photos and application. As far I'm aware, there is no real way to verify the countersignatory.

How are brand new passports issued in other countries when identity is required?

kyawzazaw3• 4 years ago

In Myanmar, national ID card. Household document that list the member of household.

slenk• 4 years ago

I am super paranoid about passports since when I got my first one in 2020, USPS delivered it to the wrong house. They never got it back. So there is a passport of me out there in someone's hands.

I had it cancelled and got a new one issued, but who knows how often just my photo ID is being used :S. And the fact that they have all the info from my passport.

cjcampbell• 4 years ago

This change will be quite welcome. The most difficult part of my last renewal was to find a working stapler in order to attach the passport photo. The experience had me questioning whether we are really living in 2022.

skinnymuch• 4 years ago

I renewed my passport online. It went so fast. I already got an email today saying the renewed passport shipped. It took a couple of weeks only.

Americans will soon be able to renew passports online

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