Can You Renew a Passport Online? Eligibility, Costs, and Timing

You can renew your U.S. passport online at opr.travel.state.gov, the State Department’s official portal, as long as you meet every item on its eligibility list.¹ The system only offers routine processing of four to six weeks before mailing, and the moment you hit submit, your current passport is cancelled even though it stays in your hands. Plan around both facts before you start.

Who Qualifies

The online path is narrower than most people expect. You must meet all of the following:¹

You are 25 or older.
The passport you are renewing is (or was) a 10-year adult passport, meaning it was issued when you were at least 16.
It expires within one year, or expired less than five years ago.
You are not changing your name or sex from what appears on the current passport.
You physically have the passport, and it is not damaged, mutilated, lost, or stolen.
You are in a U.S. state or territory when you submit.
You are not traveling internationally within six weeks of submitting.

The federal regulation behind the core rules, 22 CFR 51.21, requires that your most recent passport was a 10-year book, that you apply within 15 years of its issue date, and that it has one year or less of validity left.² The age-25 minimum and six-week travel buffer are operational rules the State Department layers on top.

The disqualifier that catches most people is the five-year expiration limit. If your passport expired more than five years ago, online renewal is closed to you and you have to apply in person on Form DS-11 as a first-time applicant would.³

What You Can Renew and What It Costs

The portal handles books, cards, or both together, depending on what you currently hold:¹

A book holder can renew the book alone or add a card.
A card holder can renew the card.
Someone who holds both can renew both in one transaction.

A passport book renewal is $130, a card alone is $30, and renewing both together is $160.⁴ Online submissions carry no separate execution or acceptance fee.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Pull everything together first. The session can time out, and if it does you begin again.

From your current passport, you need the full passport number, issue date, and expiration date printed on the identification page. The system cross-checks these against federal records, and a single wrong digit triggers a rejection.

You also need a digital photo. Accepted formats are JPG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF, sized between 54 kilobytes and 10 megabytes.⁵ The portal has a built-in checker for lighting, background, and head position. Selfies and scanned prints tend to fail it. Most pharmacies and shipping centers offer passport photos for roughly $12 to $18, and many will provide a digital copy.

Have a credit or debit card ready for payment.¹

How the Submission Works

You start at opr.travel.state.gov, the only authorized site, and sign in through a government account. From there you move through screens that collect your passport details and personal information, which together function as the digital equivalent of Form DS-82.

One screen handles the photo upload and adjustment, with the built-in tool telling you immediately whether the image passes. You then review a summary, sign electronically, pay, and submit.

Unlike the mail-in process, you do not send in your old passport. The State Department tells online applicants to keep it. But once you submit, the State Department cancels it. You cannot use it for international travel, even though it is sitting in your drawer.¹ From the moment you click submit until the new book arrives, you effectively have no valid passport.

Processing Time and Status

Online renewals get routine processing only, which the State Department estimates at four to six weeks, not counting mailing. Mailing can add up to two weeks in each direction, so total turnaround runs about six to eight weeks from submission to delivery.⁶

If you gave an email address, the State Department sends status updates.⁷ You can also check progress through the online status tool at any time. The new passport is mailed to the address on your application.

If Your Travel Plans Change After You Submit

Because expedited processing is not offered at submission, you are locked into routine timing at the point of applying. If plans shift and you need it faster, you can call 1-877-487-2778 to request expedited processing or 1-to-3-day delivery of the completed passport.¹

For life-or-death emergencies or travel within 14 days, an in-person appointment at a passport agency may be possible.⁶ Keep in mind that your old passport is already cancelled once you submit online, so it is not an option to travel on it while you wait.

When You Can’t Renew Online

Failing any single eligibility rule sends you to one of two other paths. The common blockers are a passport that expired more than five years ago, a name change, being under 25, or a lost or damaged passport. A reported lost or stolen passport requires an in-person application.⁸

Renew by mail on Form DS-82 if you meet standard renewal criteria but cannot use the online system. You mail your current passport with a new photo and a check. Expedited processing is available for an extra fee.
Apply in person on Form DS-11 if your passport expired more than five years ago, was lost or stolen, was issued when you were under 16, or this is your first passport. You visit an acceptance facility or passport agency.³

When to Start

Many countries require your passport to be valid at least six months beyond your entry date, and even where the rule is not strictly enforced, a near-expiry passport can create trouble at the boarding gate. Because online renewal offers only routine service and total turnaround can reach eight weeks, starting about nine months before expiration gives you room for the six-month rule and any processing delays.

The online system opens once your passport is within a year of expiring, so a nine-month start falls comfortably inside that window.² If yours has already expired, you have up to five years to use the online path before that door closes.¹

1
U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online
2
eCFR. 22 CFR 51.21 – Execution of Passport Application
3
U.S. Department of State. Passport Forms
4
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
5
U.S. Department of State. Uploading a Digital Photo
6
U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
7
U.S. Department of State. Checking Your Application Status
8
U.S. Department of State. Report Your Passport Lost or Stolen