US plans online passport renewal abroad

Washington, Aug 28 (IANS) The US State Department has proposed allowing qualified American citizens living abroad to renew their passports entirely online, eliminating the need for two visits to an Embassy or Consulate.

The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on Friday, would expand the department’s Online Passport Renewal platform to eligible applicants in foreign countries.

The programme would be introduced overseas in phases. The department will maintain a list of participating countries on its travel website as implementation progresses.

The proposal could benefit American citizens living in India once the service is authorised there. The department has not yet identified the countries that will be included in the first phase.

Eligible applicants would be able to submit their applications, pay the required fee and upload passport photographs online.

“By enabling eligible persons overseas to submit applications, pay fees, and upload photos entirely online, the traditional requirement for two in-person visits to a consular post would be eliminated,” the State Department said.

It said the digital system would also remove the need to transfer physical applications from overseas diplomatic missions to a passport agency in the United States for adjudication.

The change is expected to accelerate processing and reduce the logistical difficulties faced by Americans living overseas, including securing appointments at embassies and consulates.

The department estimates that expanding online renewal overseas could add about 220,000 eligible applicants to the platform during fiscal 2027.

It expects nearly 10.51 million people to submit passport renewal applications using Form DS-82 during the fiscal year. About 6.28 million of those applications, or 60 per cent, are projected to be submitted online.

The proposal would also remove the existing rule that an applicant’s most recently issued passport must have one year or less of remaining validity to qualify for online renewal.

Instead, the department would publish the applicable remaining-validity requirement on its website. It said improvements to its computer systems made the current one-year restriction unnecessary.

Applicants would still need to meet other eligibility conditions. Their previous passport must have been valid for 10 years and issued when they were at least 16 years old.

The online application must ordinarily be made no more than 15 years after the previous passport was issued. Applicants must also have their most recent passport available for verification and cancellation through the online system.

Passports reported lost or stolen would not qualify. The department said adding those cases would require major changes to the adjudication process.

Applicants whose passports were issued more than 15 years earlier would also remain ineligible for online renewal. The department said it currently lacked the technology required to process those applications but could consider a separate rule in the future.

The State Department said online applicants would pay the same passport fee as those using paper applications. They could, however, save money on photographs, postage and travel to a consular facility.

It estimated that the expanded programme and existing domestic online renewals could generate annual savings of nearly $148.7 million. That includes reduced expenditure on professional photographs, postage, travel and wages lost while attending appointments.

Americans living abroad could avoid an estimated four hours away from work for a consular visit. The department calculated the potential avoided wage loss for 220,000 overseas applicants at about $18.8 million annually.

Online processing could also free consular employees to concentrate on complex citizenship cases and emergency services for Americans overseas.

The department said passport information submitted electronically would be encrypted and processed on controlled workstations accessible only to authorised employees.

The online renewal platform was introduced in 2022 with limited eligibility while its technology was being developed. Its use has so far been restricted to qualified applicants located within the United States.

The proposed rule is not yet final. The State Department will accept public comments for 60 days before deciding whether to adopt or modify it.

–IANS

lkj/as