No Launch Date Yet for U.S. Online Passport Renewal
by Briana Bonfiglio
Photo: Shutterstock.com
The United States’ online passport renewal option (OPR) is still a work in progress.
From February 2022 to March 2023, the U.S. State Department ran a pilot of OPR, during which time more than 565,000 passports were renewed through the system. Though the portal was expected to reopen in December 2023, the U.S. State Department now says it is still working out the kinks and has not provided a new timeline for the launch.
“We are committed to the President’s Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told TMR. “Since the conclusion of the Online Passport Renewal pilot, we have been working to incorporate user feedback and apply lessons learned from the pilot to improve the overall online renewal process. We continue to work towards launching this initiative and will provide updates in the future.”
An estimated 5 million Americans will be eligible to renew their passports online when OPR launches, making the process less time-consuming and more convenient. Currently, there is a processing time of 6 to 8 weeks to renew a U.S. passport by mail. Expedited, for $60, takes 2 to 3 weeks.
