by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:19 PM ET, Fri October 14, 2022
The United States Department of State temporarily reopened its online passport renewal program to new customers.
For Americans to renew their passports, the government's official website said they must follow the steps on the page to create and activate a MyTravelGov account. After around four hours, users will be able to find the option to renew their passports.
While the State Department didn't say how long the online service would remain open-the temporary opening in August allowed 25,000 people to renew their passports-officials said it would reopen the portal again in November for new customers.
The website said Americans are eligible to renew online if their most recent passport was valid for 10 years and they are 25 years or older. In addition, passports must have been issued over nine years ago but less than 15 years ago from the date people apply.
In September, the New York Times reported that State Department officials would fully launch an online passport renewal option for the general public in early 2023. The program was created following a December 2021 executive order from President Joe Biden.
According to the information given at the time the Executive Order was signed, online renewals were expected to cut the time of passport renewals by 1-7 weeks, lowering the average renewal process time from 8-11 weeks by mail to 5-7 weeks online.
As for cost, adult passport renewals cost $130, up from the previous $110. New adult passport applications increased from $145 to $165, while people under 16 years old pay $135, up from $115. To expedite the process, Americans must pay an additional $60.
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