July 7, 2025
Americans are happy with the newly launched online passport renewal system.
The results are in, and U.S. travelers are praising the revamped online passport renewal system led by a team of bureaucrats.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs has revamped the online passport renewal system after its initial rollout last September, and 94% of users surveyed have given it positive reviews, The Wall Street Journal reported. Spearheaded by Chief Information Officer Luis Coronado and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Pierce, the updated process has made renewing a U.S. passport significantly more accessible.
Gone are the days of filling out paper forms, attaching checks or money orders, making trips for printed passport photos, and mailing everything in, only to wait weeks or even months for a new passport to arrive. Now, U.S. travelers can complete the entire passport renewal process online, submitting the application from a computer, uploading a photo from a smartphone, and paying with a credit card, no printing or mailing required.
In less than a year since its launch, online passport renewals now make up nearly half of all U.S. passport renewals, according to the State Department. The program’s success even earned the Bureau of Consular Affairs a 2025 Service to America Medal for its efforts.
Ben Cohen of The Wall Street Journal described the new process as “weirdly efficient and unexpectedly refreshing,” a stark contrast to the long, frustrating mail-in system Americans became accustomed to. After testing it himself, Cohen praised the 15-minute application and the quick two-week turnaround, despite being told it could take four to six weeks.
The service launched just as summer 2024 wrapped up, opening to adults renewing a standard 10-year passport that either expired within the past five years or is set to expire within the next year. It’s currently available only to Americans with a U.S. address.
“This is a new service which will allow Americans to pay to upload a photo and to apply completely online, with no need to appear in person or to send documents through the mail,” Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter said, noting that it “will be available 24/7.”
As summer travel ramps up and families start planning for the holidays and winter getaways, those needing a new passport can breathe easier knowing that there’s now a faster, just-as-efficient way to renew without ever leaving home.
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