Travelers can now renew their U.S. passports online.
The U.S. Department of State announced on September 18 that it is fully expanding its online passport renewal program, which until recently was a pilot program.
“We expect up to five million Americans will be able to use the service a year,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter.
According to program details, passport holders over the age of 25 will no longer need to submit paper renewals, send checks, or schedule interviews. At the same time, passports that have expired in the past five years or are due to expire in the next year can also be renewed online. However, you can only renew online if you have a residential address in the United States.
Americans who need to renew their passports can create an account on the State Department’s website, enter their existing passport information, and add information about their next travel destination. Passport holders no longer have to have their photos printed. As long as it meets the State Department’s passport photo standards, images can be uploaded from a smartphone. The fee can be paid by credit card. Online renewals will take six to eight weeks, the State Department said.
BY BRIAN CHOI, HOONSIK WOO [choi.inseong@koreadaily.com]
