Passport Renewal

[Anovice]

My passport expires in April 2026, but as I will going overseas in January 2026, I want to start thinking about renewing now. Yesterday, I picked up the "U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals" at the post office. I also understand that there is an application online. Is there a benefit of completing the paper version or the application online? I assume that either way, I will need to mail in my passport, which I loathe. Should I mail the passport USPS Certified (it goes to a PO Box)?

Thank you.

[CaptainT]

Do it online it will get processed faster.

[exodusNH]

My passport expires in April 2026, but as I will going overseas in January 2026, I want to start thinking about renewing now. Yesterday, I picked up the "U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals" at the post office. I also understand that there is an application online. Is there a benefit of completing the paper version or the application online? I assume that either way, I will need to mail in my passport, which I loathe. Should I mail the passport USPS Certified (it goes to a PO Box)?

Thank you.

I would definitely send it via USPS Express Mail.

[oldfatguy]

My passport expires in April 2026, but as I will going overseas in January 2026, I want to start thinking about renewing now. Yesterday, I picked up the "U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals" at the post office. I also understand that there is an application online. Is there a benefit of completing the paper version or the application online? I assume that either way, I will need to mail in my passport, which I loathe. Should I mail the passport USPS Certified (it goes to a PO Box)?

Thank you.

I recently renewed mine online, and did not have to mail anything. I received my new one in about two weeks.

[N1CKV]

I renewed mine online directly at the State Department's website and definitely recommend it.
I applied January 23rd and it was in my mailbox on February 3rd (I got a passport card also that came a week later).
I did not have to surrender my old passport.
They are also more forgiving with photos from electronic submissions - as long as you have no facial expression, reasonably "close enough" to their requirements and proper lighting they will crop the photo as needed. They specifically say to not make adjustments or alterations to the photo so they get the full resolution version to do what they need.

[matt5728]

From https://travel.state.gov/content/travel ... /faqs.html

If you renew online, keep your most recent passport and do not send it to us.

[exodusNH]

I renewed mine online directly at the State Department's website and definitely recommend it.
I applied January 23rd and it was in my mailbox on February 3rd (I got a passport card also that came a week later).
I did not have to surrender my old passport.
They are also more forgiving with photos from electronic submissions - as long as you have no facial expression, reasonably "close enough" to their requirements and proper lighting they will crop the photo as needed. They specifically say to not make adjustments or alterations to the photo so they get the full resolution version to do what they need.

There's a higher resolution copy of the photo on the smart chip.

(I was working with a TSA-approved passport and ID scanner last year.)

[Longdog]

I did it online recently as well. Took about 3 weeks to get my new passport. Convenience is the main factor. Speed of processing is second.

If you do it online, be aware that the instant you hit "submit" your existing passport is invalidated.

[arcane]

You can ONLY renew online if your passport expires within 12 months. So you need to wait after April if you want to do it online.

[Cantarana]

My situation is very similar to yours. I am doing another international trip now and next week as I return, I will file online for my renewal. One point to consider is that once you file online and your application is accepted, your old passport will no longer be valid, even though it will remain in your possession during the renewal and thereafter - I learned this by calling the renewal agency.

[wildkarrde21]

I also did mine recently as mine is expiring in November 2025 and I am traveling in May this year. I did it online and recommend it - I submitted on 2/3 and got it on 2/24, so roughly 3 weeks. I would recommend taking your own photo, as the online submission requires a waist up picture rather than the normal head shot that FedEx/Kinko's take (Although to be fair I could have asked them to do that as well if I had known beforehand). Save yourself the $16.

[newbh933]

Just another data point for online. DW and I renewed online in early Feb on the same day. She got hers about 4 weeks later and I just got mine yesterday (about 5 weeks). Site estimated 4-6 weeks for processing, so pretty much spot on.

[KirklandCoug]

I did mine online in February and received it in three weeks. Super efficient.

[Anovice]

I also did mine recently as mine is expiring in November 2025 and I am traveling in May this year. I did it online and recommend it - I submitted on 2/3 and got it on 2/24, so roughly 3 weeks. I would recommend taking your own photo, as the online submission requires a waist up picture rather than the normal head shot that FedEx/Kinko's take (Although to be fair I could have asked them to do that as well if I had known beforehand). Save yourself the $16.

Thanks for all your posts. I will do the application online. It seems that it does not make a difference that my current passport will no longer be valid once I submit my application online, because if I were to do a mail in application, I would be required to enclose my passport, so either way, I would not have a passport.

I am a bit confused regarding the requirements and how do deal with the photo when doing the application online. Can the photo be taken with a cell phone (waist up) and print it out on a color copier?

[jeffyscott]

There's no printing, you just submit the photo by uploading it online. Cell phone photos worked fine. The biggest problem we had was finding a background that met the requirements and getting rid of shadows. (We did it during the beta, so maybe it was being extra fussy?)

The system reviews and tentatively approves your photo when you upload it. If there's an issue with it found later, they'd just tell you to submit another.

[Epsilon Delta]

I finally got a photo accepted.

As far as the background it rejected any "off white" that had a hint of yellow or red.

I used a iphone SE. It would probably be easier with a narrow and longer lens. With a wide lens you need a wide uniform background, and the camera, subject and background need to be closer together which makes shadows harder to control.

[Isabelle77]

My husband had trouble with getting a decent cell phone photo - his shiny bald head was reflecting the light - but Walgreens will email you one and that worked great.

[calmaniac]

Feb 6, 2025: I applied for my passport renewal online
Feb 7, 2025:Received an email receipt of the application
Feb 10, 2025:Received an email "Application Status: In Process"
Mar 3, 2025: Received an email "Application Status: Approved"
Mar 5, 2025: Received an email "Application Status: Supporting Documents Mailed"
Mar 8, 2025: Received passport in the mail

For the online process, you do not mail your old passport. The old passport is immediately invalidated (or some such) upon the online renewal application.

My husband had trouble with getting a decent cell phone photo - his shiny bald head was reflecting the light - but Walgreens will email you one and that worked great.

Agreed! Recommend paying a couple of bucks and not wasting the time to DYI. For online renewal you upload the photo file (pdf or jpeg, I can't remember).

[Anovice]

My husband had trouble with getting a decent cell phone photo - his shiny bald head was reflecting the light - but Walgreens will email you one and that worked great.

From an earlier post:

I would recommend taking your own photo, as the online submission requires a waist up picture rather than the normal head shot that FedEx/Kinko's take (Although to be fair I could have asked them to do that as well if I had known beforehand). Save yourself the $16.

I am thinking of going to Staples as it is a 10 minute walk. It sounds like there is a different type of picture that the likes of Walgreens or Staples takes depending on a mail in renewal (head shot) or online application (waste up). Is that in fact the case so I can let Staples know that I am completing the passport renewal application online?

Thank you.

[MikeG62]

I believe this is the case - expiration date will be 10 years from issue date on new passport (not 10 years from expiration on current passport).

So you may want to time so you aren’t cutting a full 12 months or more off the term of your current passport.

[david99]

By the way, some countries will not let you in if you have less than 6 months until your passport expires. Ask me how I know.

[calmaniac]

I am thinking of going to Staples as it is a 10 minute walk. It sounds like there is a different type of picture that the likes of Walgreens or Staples takes depending on a mail in renewal (head shot) or online application (waste up). Is that in fact the case so I can let Staples know that I am completing the passport renewal application online?

Thank you.

Uploading a Digital Photo

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel ... photo.html

Your photo must be in JPEG file format.

[GuyInFL]

By the way, some countries will not let you in if you have less than 6 months until your passport expires. Ask me how I know.

Wow. Did they actually send you on the next flight home?

[calmaniac]

By the way, some countries will not let you in if you have less than 6 months until your passport expires. Ask me how I know.

Wow. Did they actually send you on the next flight home?

A friend had that happen after landing in Istanbul, Turkey with a <6 month passport. His wife was not pleased.

[glitchy]

The system reviews and tentatively approves your photo when you upload it. If there's an issue with it found later, they'd just tell you to submit another.

The online system accepted my picture but it was then bounced by a human for my head being too large in frame. (Which is funny because that would be easily checkable in software!) Unfortunately the process then falls back to mailing in an actual physical photo, so that was a week's delay. (Free and fast passport photos from AAA at least.)

Even so the whole process from submission to passport in hand was still under three weeks, not bad at all. (Card has not yet arrived.)

[Anovice]

The system reviews and tentatively approves your photo when you upload it. If there's an issue with it found later, they'd just tell you to submit another.

The online system accepted my picture but it was then bounced by a human for my head being too large in frame. (Which is funny because that would be easily checkable in software!) Unfortunately the process then falls back to mailing in an actual physical photo, so that was a week's delay. (Free and fast passport photos from AAA at least.)

Even so the whole process from submission to passport in hand was still under three weeks, not bad at all. (Card has not yet arrived.)

I called my local AAA this morning and the member price for passport photos is $11.99. However, they said that AAA is not (yet) set up to do digital photos and the ones they do can't be uploaded (maybe that is a quality issue).