Thanks to our digital age, you can do almost anything online now in a nanosecond.
Renew your driver's license, get insurance, hook up all your utilities, rent a house - even buy a car. In fact, most of us are surprised when we cannot speed up any process today by vetting on a website.
Can You Renew a Passport Online?
Even a U.S. passport? Absolutely. Online applications take mere minutes, and in fact are the best way to help expedite things should you need your travel documents sooner rather than later. We'll break it down for you. And you might just want to do that considering some of the possible wait time for processing, which can be up to six weeks for routine requests.
Who Needs a US Passport?
Anyone and everyone traveling abroad, even newborn babies. A passport is a necessary official travel document issued and regulated by the U.S. Department of State. It is illegal to leave or enter the country without holding a current passport. Only U.S. citizens and noncitizen nationals with proper documentation are eligible. It contains the following personal information for proof of identity about you: your name, date of birth, place of birth, a 2 x 2 inch photograph (head and shoulders picture) of you, your signature, your gender, and your nationality. Your little official travel booklet - under most circumstances - is generally good for ten years. More than 15.5 million passports were issued in 2015.
You still have to include documentation with it, like that photo, and your current passport if you are renewing or making any changes, so mailing it is still a necessary evil.
How to Get Passport Application Forms Online?
But getting that application form, whichever one you may require, completed online and printed will save half of your renewal process. The U.S. Department of State has a fabulous, informative and very user-friendly website at https://travel.state.gov, where you can complete any and all passport application forms online in a PDF and print them out for mailing (or submitting in person, if this is your first time obtaining a U.S. passport).
How to Renew a Passport Online?
If you are renewing an expired passport and are applying on the DS-82 form, things are much easier for you. And you qualify for that if you fall under these circumstances:
Simply go online, fill out that application form - which is really only two pages of entering information that you can tab through - print, attach your documentation and fees, and mail. Done. And routine requests will get it back into your hands in six weeks. If you need it sooner, the expedited processing fees will cut that in half to three weeks.
Apply For an Expedited Passport Online
Need that passport renewal sooner than that, say in under 8 days? Then you still need to submit it in person, but completing your application form online and printing it out still saves tremendous time.
And just like a renewal, if you are changing a name or incorrect information on your current passport, and are using the DS-5504 application form, then your process is easy as well - complete online, print, attach documents, and mail. The good news for you? No fees for routine requests!
And if this is your very first U.S. passport and you are filling out the necessary DS-11 form, you must go in person to submit it, but you can still complete that form online, print it out and have your things ready to go when you do submit it - the best way to do it to ensure it's hassle-free.
Any form can be submitted in person at a passport acceptance facility, such as your local U.S. Postal Service office, many local libraries (call ahead to make sure on this one), and any clerk of the court's office. There are also 28 Regional Passport Agencies through the State Department, authorized to handle expedited or emergent requests. They are by appointment only, and take no walk-in traffic, so you'll need to call ahead and make those arrangements.
You can both locate a Regional Passport office and make an appointment through the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) by calling 1-877-487-2778 (or for TDD/TTY, 1-888-874-7793). Customer service representatives can make appointments for your U.S. passport renewal Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. EST, and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST (no federal holidays). Those numbers also go to an automated system after hours, with application renewal information and status of your passport renewal, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Of course, there are always unforeseen circumstances that arise, making quick travel abroad sometimes necessary. The State Department has an after-hours hotline for life or death emergencies at 1-202-647-4000.
Where to Get Passport Photos?
If you need a passport photo, you are probably just blocks away from a local store or facility that handles them, even in the middle of the night:
You can also have your photo taken at your local Regional Passport Agency, the nearest U.S. post office, or even a local photo studio. The guidelines are very specific and very basic; it must be 2 x 2 inches and on a white background, and be a head and shoulders shot.
If you are just not sure what your passport needs will be, the best advice is to go online at that U.S. Department of State site at htps://travel.state.gov and zip through their quick passport wizard. Answer a couple of simple questions, and the wizard will direct you through the exact steps you need to take, and the choices you have to take them depending on how fast you need that passport. Have complicated questions? Call. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to get things moving in the right direction.
And if you need to save on fees, make sure you don't need it in a hurry. Getting it in on time for that routine six-week request will save you at least $60 in expediting fees. And countless hours in worry.
Making arrangements to travel abroad, even for that dream vacation, can sometimes be a headache. So why add to it with needing to square away your passport? Save the time! Go online, tab through filing in your info, click, print - and get rolling a lot quicker. Happy travels!