Immigration & Visas · Notice
Passport renewal online may open to Americans abroad
A State Department proposed rule would let qualified applicants overseas renew a passport online and would drop the rule that limits online renewal to passports with a year or less of validity left. Comments close October 27, 2026.
The State Department wants to let Americans living abroad renew a passport online, and to drop the rule that limits online renewal to people whose passport is nearly expired. It published the proposed rule on August 28, 2026, and is taking comments until October 27, 2026.
Nothing has changed yet. Online renewal is still open only to applicants inside the United States, and only in the circumstances the department lists on its own renew online page.
What the rule would change
The department proposes to amend 22 CFR 51.21, the regulation that sets out who may apply for a passport by mail or online, in three ways:
- Online renewal from abroad. Qualified applicants in foreign countries could apply online, paying the fee and uploading a photo without visiting a consulate. The department says this would remove the two in-person visits an overseas renewal traditionally requires, and would end the shipping of paper applications back to a domestic passport agency for adjudication, which it expects to speed processing up.
- The one-year validity limit goes. Today an applicant qualifies for online renewal only if the most recently issued passport has a year or less of validity left. The department says the technology no longer requires that limit and proposes to remove it from the regulation, relaxing the requirement gradually.
- A wording fix. Two uses of "on-line" in 22 CFR 51.8(b) become "online".
The rollout would be phased rather than global on day one. The department says it will keep an updated list of the countries where online renewal is available, and the current requirement for remaining validity, on travel.state.gov/renewonline.
How big a change this is
The department calls the rule economically significant under Executive Order 12866, saying the benefit is likely to exceed $100 million. Online renewal has existed since 2022, when the department opened it under a final rule published in December 2021, but the eligible pool has not been widened since.
Two further expansions were considered and set aside. Allowing people whose passport was lost or stolen to renew online would require major changes to how applications are adjudicated, and on the department's fiscal 2025 data would add only about 0.1 percent to the eligible pool, roughly 300,000 applicants a year. Extending eligibility from a 15-year to an 18-year gap since the last passport was issued would add about 7 percent, roughly 495,000 applicants a year, but the department says it does not yet have the technology and plans a separate rulemaking later.
Who can renew online today
The department's renew online page, read in its Internet Archive copy from May 2026, lists the current requirements. The passport being renewed must be a 10-year passport that is expiring within a year or expired less than five years ago. The applicant must be 25 or older, must not be changing a name or sex marker, must be located in a US state or territory when applying, and must not need the passport within about six weeks, because online renewals cannot be expedited. The passport must be undamaged and not reported lost or stolen.
The fees the same page lists are $130 for a passport book, $30 for a passport card and $160 for both, with optional 1 to 3 day delivery at $22.05. The proposed rule is about who may use the online route, not about what it costs.
How to comment
Comments are due by October 27, 2026. They go to regulations.gov under docket DOS-2026-0925, where the department also posts a plain-language summary of the rulemaking, or by email to the Passport Services office with the rule's number, RIN 1400-AF97, in the subject line. The department says it will address relevant comments in a final rule.
Until that final rule is published, an American overseas renews a passport the way they do now, through the embassy or consulate. If you are in the United States and your passport is close to expiring, the online route is already open on the terms above.
What to do
- If you are overseas, keep renewing through the embassy or consulate for now; the online route abroad needs a final rule first. travel.state.gov
- If you are in the United States, check whether you already qualify to renew online: a 10-year passport expiring within a year or expired less than five years ago, age 25 or older, no name or sex marker change, and no travel for about six weeks. travel.state.gov
- To comment, use docket DOS-2026-0925 at regulations.gov by October 27, 2026, or email Passport Services with RIN 1400-AF97 in the subject line. regulations.gov
- Watch travel.state.gov/renewonline for the country list and the current validity requirement; the department says both will be posted there as the rollout proceeds. travel.state.gov
Questions readers ask
- Can I renew my passport online from abroad right now?
- No. The State Department has only proposed it. The proposed rule was published on August 28, 2026, comments close on October 27, 2026, and a final rule would come after that. Even then the department says online renewal would be rolled out overseas in phases, with the list of eligible countries kept on travel.state.gov/renewonline. Until then, an American abroad renews through an embassy or consulate.
- What is the one-year validity rule, and is it going?
- Online renewal is currently limited to applicants whose most recently issued passport has a year or less of validity remaining. The department proposes removing that requirement from the regulation, saying its systems no longer need it, and says it will relax the requirement gradually and post the current one on its renew online page.
- Who can use online passport renewal today?
- The department’s renew online page says the passport must be a 10-year passport that is expiring within a year or expired less than five years ago; the applicant must be 25 or older, must not be changing a name or sex marker, must be in a US state or territory when applying, and must not be traveling within about six weeks, because online renewals cannot be expedited. The passport must be undamaged and not reported lost or stolen.
- Does the rule change passport fees?
- No. The proposal deals with who may apply online and removes the remaining-validity limit. The fees on the department’s renew online page are $130 for a book, $30 for a card and $160 for both, with optional faster delivery at $22.05.
- What about a lost or stolen passport, or one that expired long ago?
- Neither is covered. The department considered allowing online renewal after a loss or theft and said it would require major changes to adjudication for about 0.1 percent more applicants. It also considered extending the gap since the last passport from 15 to 18 years, about 7 percent more applicants, and said it lacks the technology for now and would need a separate rulemaking.
- How do I comment on the proposed rule?
- By October 27, 2026, at regulations.gov under docket number DOS-2026-0925, where a plain-language summary is also posted, or by email to the Passport Services office named in the rule with RIN 1400-AF97 in the subject line. The department says it will respond to relevant comments when it publishes a final rule.
Filed under: State Department travel advisories tracker
Mentioned:U.S. Department of State
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Written by Mirza Seraj Baig · Checked against the documents in the source card (editorial standards).