US Passport Online Renewal Pilot Program: Here's How to Renew Online - ThrillistSkip to main content Like Thrillist on Facebook.Follow Thrillist on Instagram.Follow Thrillist on Twitter.Follow Thrillist on Snapchat.Subscribe to Thrillist on YouTube.Follow Thrillist on TikTok.SUBSCRIBEGo to NavigationNewsTravel News

Here' s How You Can Renew Your Passport Online Right Now

A new State Department pilot program is available to its first 25 000 volunteers

By Opheli Garcia LawlerUpdated on 9/9/2022 at 4:27 PM Levi Ventura/UnsplashEditor's Note: We know COVID-19 is continuing to impact your travel plans. Should you travel now, be sure to familiarize yourself with the CDC's latest guidance on domestic and international travel as well as local requirements, protocols, and restrictions for both your destination upon your arrival and your home city upon your return. Be safe out there.Let me start with a tangent. Earlier this year, I realized I couldn't travel on my passport about 10 days before my planned trip to Rome. I knew that wait times to renew passports were exorbitant, with COVID-19-related issues creating a massive backlog. So, $300 and a flight to Puerto Rico later, I stood in the only office in the US that had availability for same-day passport renewal. Once there, the process was surprisingly seamless. But still, it was a major headache (and a pocket ache). The State Department recognizes the hassle it can be to renew your passport, even if you aren't flying off the continent to do so. The agency launched a pilot program for volunteers to test out an online passport renewal portal that won't require mailing in your application and supporting documents back in August, and with a spate of new applications available, there's still time for you to test the product. To be one of the program's volunteers, follow the steps on the Department of State website. The volunteers will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. This is ideal if you've been avoiding getting your passport renewed because the idea of finding a printer, an envelope, and a post office fills you with an unexplainable dread. There are ten requirements for you to be eligible to renew online, which are listed on the site. If you meet all of them, you can take the following steps to enroll in the pilot program, according to the Department of State: Create a MyTravelGov account. Click the link in the 'account verification email you will receive after creating your account. Wait up to 24 hours for us to register your account. Login to your MyTravelGov account and start your application. You should see an option to "Renew Passport" after 24 hours. As for the timeline, it won't be any faster to renew online than it will be through the mail. Processing times are estimated to be about the same as the traditional process, between six to eight weeks. So, the online renewal option probably wouldn't have helped me earlier this year, but you can still avoid my fate if you renew now. For those of you who didn't make it to be one of the 25,000 volunteers in the first rollout program, don't fret. According to CNET, the Department of State plans on adding 25,000 more applications in September. In 2023 the program will be available more widely to the public. Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. Opheli Garcia Lawler is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia. Thrillist TVHistory ofThe History of Tailgating By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.