Online Passport Renewal

[audreyh1]

This is all very encouraging!

 

[rembrandt]

If your passport expired more than 15 years ago, you cannot renew it. You must apply for it like it was your first time. What a hassle! Maybe I will change my mind about the trip to Lesbos.

 

[aja8888]

My passport is expired and I have no plans to renew it. Enough was enough,

 

[frank05]

If you plan to travel internationally several times a year, select the passport extra pages passport option. Countries are slowly doing away with stamps and going to e-visas but getting the larger passbook doesn’t cost extra.

 

[AllDone]

I applied for mine just before T'giving and it arrived 13 days later. I made my spouse keep taking pictures until I got one I liked. Unfortunately, I look a lot older than I did ten years ago.

 

[audreyh1]

I applied for mine just before T'giving and it arrived 13 days later. I made my spouse keep taking pictures until I got one I liked. Unfortunately, I look a lot older than I did ten years ago.

Yeah, that’s always very noticeable!

 

[rembrandt]

In order to "renew" my 20 year old passport, I have to actually physically go to a passport acceptance facility to submit my application. Sounds like going to the DMV. Outrageous.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

DW and I submitted our online renewal applications Jan 6, and I received mine Jan 13. Hers is still in limbo somewhere and the online status tracker isn’t working. It’s still within the advertised timeframe so I can’t complain.

DW finally received her passport on Jan 23. So, two online applications at the same address filed on the same day, but ten days' difference in receiving the new passports. In other words, as they say, your mileage may vary.

Edit to add: For whatever reason, mine came from Arkansas and hers from South Carolina. I have no idea why, or if it is even relevant.

 

[jollystomper]

My passport expires in May, and with international travel likely for us in March and/or April, I submitted my online application on January 8th. I took the required picture at home, there are a lot of examples of what is needed/what is wrong on the website. Our finished basement walls are off white, and I have a projector screen, so we had suitable backgrounds. I chose the normal service, which stated a 4-6 week time frame after payment is verified. The progress alerts I have received:
1/8 - Renewal application received, payment pending
1/9 - Payment successful, renewal process beginning
1/10 - Renewal in process, documents being reviewed
1/15 - Renewal approved, new passport being printed, expect it around 1/21

1/16 - alert received that the passport was shipping. In the afternoon I received confirmation that USPS had it, with a tracking number and expected delivery date of 1/21. Since 1/20 is a Federal Holiday (MLK day), the delivery time makes sense.

1/23 - Passport finally received, Yay! Some delay occurred - possible weather related - as on 1/21 the delivery date status changed to "unknown" (but the location was within my state), then on 1/22 it changed to 1/23 delivery. Still, it is better turnaround than I expected from starting on 1/8.

 

[jollystomper]

Another passport online renewal success story...

We have decided to visit a DS, DDIL, and grandkids who currently live overseas. Based on their schedules, we are planning to go in mid-March. Youngest DS asked to join us for the trip, as he was able to get vacation time from his job for that time. Great, come along. Tickets purchased. Then... (a question we should have asked sooner) "DS, when does your passport expire?" DS started looking for it (somehere in either our home or his home he recently moved into) , but after a day I remembered - I have a scan of the picture page, to travel with digital and paper copy of that passport page just in case. So I check... expiration date is in April, about a month after our scheduled trip. UH-OH!

DW starts checking into expedited options. DS could take a trip to DC and apply from a passport in person - but they do not allow appointments to be scheduled in person until your departure flight is within two weeks. While the online renewal sets the expected timeline of 4-6 weeks (and there is not expedite option other than return mailing), my experience (and many others) was a much shorter turnaround. So... we decided to take a chance and renw online. If for some reason it did not get here in two weeks he would then make the in-person appointment.

So...

2/11 - DS comes over, we take his passport photo, he completes the online application and pays for the expedited mailing). After several hours he was notfied that payment was accepted.
2/12 - Notification received that the renewal application was in review
2/13 - Passport application approved, estimated receipt time was 2/16.
2/15 - Passport arrives in mail - YAY! And there was much rejoicing in the land...

 

[audreyh1]

If you plan to travel internationally several times a year, select the passport extra pages passport option. Countries are slowly doing away with stamps and going to e-visas but getting the larger passbook doesn’t cost extra.

For us even though we visit several countries in the EU annually, it’s just one stamp in, and one stamp out.

 

[fh2000]

I am working on the online renewal form now. Just uploaded the iphone photos and ready to pay, then I encountered a question asking for 'ICN' number. Their in-form example shows that it can be found in the back page underneath the barcode. In my case, it is a number the same as my passport number.

Is ICN the same as passport number for some people, in some cases?

 

[user5027]

Is ICN the same as passport number for some people, in some cases?

Mine is.

 

[jollystomper]

Yes, for both me and my son renewals the ICN was the same as the passport number.

 

[Mr Gadget]

I applied online for a renewal in June 2024, had my new passport within 2 weeks. Simple process if all your doing is renewing.

 

[Gonz]

Applied online for passport/card on 4/6. No issues.
Picture taken at FedEx and given to me on thumb drive.
Received in mail yesterday 4/18. (1-2 day delivery)
Waiting on passport card. Last time it came a few days after receiving passport.

 

[Rianne]

A bit off topic. We renewed our passports, sent in old ones took pics, got the new ones within two weeks. When we came back into the U.S. from Costa Rica going through the passport line. Got up to the window. The guy did not look at our passports. He put a camera on my face and said my name. Same with DH. I said do you want to see our passports? Nope, go on through. I mean within seconds. Facial recognition. Said my name and smiled. Because I looked like I'd seen a ghost.

 

[ivinsfan]

The online renewal process is in get it done mode...DH took a total of 7 business days to arrive in the mailbox. Mine took 11 business days, they were submitted on the same day, several hours apart.

 

[JoeWras]

A bit off topic. We renewed our passports, sent in old ones took pics, got the new ones within two weeks. When we came back into the U.S. from Costa Rica going through the passport line. Got up to the window. The guy did not look at our passports. He put a camera on my face and said my name. Same with DH. I said do you want to see our passports? Nope, go on through. I mean within seconds. Facial recognition. Said my name and smiled. Because I looked like I'd seen a ghost.

Same for us last year coming to the US. They know who we are!

 

[RetireBy90]

Same for us last year coming to the US. They know who we are!

So is the same as global entry without the subscription fee ?

 

[JoeWras]

So is the same as global entry without the subscription fee ?

I highly doubt it. It must be officer's discretion.

DW and I arrived together in an airport in our home city. Low risk, I'm guessing. Not everyone ahead of us or behind us got this treatment.

 

[Phroig]

Applied March 30; received my new passport April 11. I was very impressed.

 

[audreyh1]

Same for us last year coming to the US. They know who we are!

They were busy taking our pics when we left the EU last year. So I think they know who we are too!

 

[braumeister]

Everyone will soon know who we are, I think.
I was stunned a couple of years ago when I didn't have to show my boarding pass to get on a Delta flight. Just looked at the camera and the light turned green. And the kiosks at arriving airports are often pretty awesome in their capability.

 

[audreyh1]

Everyone will soon know who we are, I think.
I was stunned a couple of years ago when I didn't have to show my boarding pass to get on a Delta flight. Just looked at the camera and the light turned green. And the kiosks at arriving airports are often pretty awesome in their capability.

Oh right. I forgot and it just happened. To board our United flight to AMS we just looked at the camera. No boarding pass, no passport scanned. Of course they had already checked our passport at check-in and already have scans of our passports on file.