It appears the government may be turning the corner when it comes to passport renewals and the whole passport application process.
Problems and backlogs plagued the State Department from 2022 to 2023 in trying to get passports issued, with calls from leaders saying to make sure you applied at least six months before you were set to travel overseas. Now, the State Department has announced a new passport renewal program that can be done completely online.
Rena Bitter, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs at the State Department, joined WTOP’s Shawn Anderson and Anne Kramer on Thursday to talk about the new online passport renewal program, who can use it and how it works.
The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity.
Rena Bitter: It’s no secret that we had some trouble last summer. Passport applications have been at record highs over the last couple of years — more Americans are traveling abroad than ever before — but it has been almost a year now that we have been back to pre-pandemic levels for passport processing. And we are really, really dedicated to providing Americans with a secure and efficient passport service.
So now we’re extra excited to be able to offer Americans another service, which is online passport renewal. This will allow Americans to pay to upload a photo and to apply completely online, without any need to appear in person or to send any documents through the mail. So, in addition to having tackled those backlogs, as we did with a lot of hard work and dedication, we’re now really excited to offer an even more convenient process for American citizens.
Shawn Anderson: So with the addition of this online process, but still being able to do it the traditional way if you wish, how are you adjusting your staff to meet the demand? Has anything changed on that front?
Rena Bitter: Again, it’s no secret, we had some challenges last summer. We’ve made a number of changes, including increasing staffing over the last year to be able to get back to where we were pre-pandemic, and now we’re looking toward the future. This new service is going to be available to those who want to renew an adult 10-year passport that expired within the last five years or will expire this year.
And all people have to do is go to our website, travel.state.gov, and the site will walk you through questions to make sure you’re eligible to use the service. But as you point out, Shawn, it is absolutely not mandatory. It’s just another way that to offer people the opportunity to apply, so that we can make it as convenient for Americans as possible.
And I can also say that online passport renewal is not the only way that we’re trying to provide the best possible service for American citizens. You may be aware that in June, Secretary (Antony) Blinken announced that we would be opening new passport agencies, six new ones across the United States, which will provide more Americans convenient service in person, should they need it, much closer to their home.
Anne Kramer: Assistant Secretary, what’s the best advice or course of action for people who are in the process but haven’t heard back where they are in line and in the process?
Rena Bitter: Well, we have a call center that people can check. We have the ability for people to check online. Our published service standards for American citizens is six to eight weeks. Most people are getting passports back much more quickly than that. So, the kind of problems that we had last summer that I hear you guys articulating. I know that it was a big news story last summer. I can’t emphasize enough the extent to which our very hardworking and dedicated staff have put that behind us.
So if you take anything away from this conversation, I hope it’s that: That the State Department is absolutely dedicated to ensuring that we provide a secure, efficient passport service for all Americans.
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