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Americans will soon be able to renew passports online

124 points by avonmach 4y ago

kayodelycaon 4y ago
For anyone not reading the article, if you have a non-expired passport, you can already do everything online. Except! You need to mail in your current passport. There are also expedited processing options. The ones I saw last year weren't terribly expensive. Edit: Fastest is 3 days, if you have emergency that qualifies. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fas...
- jrochkind1 4y ago
  That's interesting, the OP was I guess not quite right on this. Not having to mail in your current passport is huge though. I hate being without a passport for the 2-3 months it currently takes, even if I have no travel planned (and what if I did?).
  - ghaff 4y ago
    There were a lot of major delays during the pandemic. Otherwise, you can get a new passport very quickly but you might want to pay a visa/passport service to handle it for you--although I'm not sure they add a lot of value these days.
    - jrochkind1 4y ago
      I think last time I renewed was pre-pandemic, but post-Trump, which I don't recall what that had to do with it, but do recall that passport renewals were already seriously slowed down -- I think I had to wait about 6 weeks. I don't know for sure what it was before that, since the last time I renewed was 10 years before that. But being without a passport for even 2 weeks makes me nervous. It's a security blanket to know I have it to make last-minute international travel possible if necessary. An online renewal where you don't have to send your old passport in and can keep it until your new arrives is a huge thing. (Granted, your old passport will probably become invalid at some point before you receive your new passport, but after it's actually been created. Still the time without a valid passport will be minimal).
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- atdrummond 4y ago
  You can get same day passport at a State Department office. Even without an appointment, if you’re willing to risk not being seen that day.
  - thinkharderdev 4y ago
    Did that recently change? I had to renew my passport at the office this year and it was very strictly by appointment only.
    - atdrummond 4y ago
      They don’t want you to know but I recently did a same day renewal at Seattle and like Chicago and SF’s offices, there is a line for people without appointments. I’d say I saw 60 people go to that one and maybe half got helped - if that’s helpful info.
- gonehome 4y ago
  Where are you seeing the ability to do it online? You can't as far as I can tell (I just did it). > "Currently, the process requires filling out a renewal application called DS-82, providing a passport-sized photo, and calculating fees, plus tossing the current passport and potentially other identification papers in the mail. “It’s scary to mail in your [old] passport, marriage certificate, and other documents and hope you’ll get them back,” Rathner says." You need to print the forms, staple a proper photo to them, and mail all your crap via USPS. The only thing you can do online is print the form (you can fill in the data first, but that's not the hard part). When I hear "you can already do everything online" I think click submit and be done. You can't currently do that. It's barely a step above picking up the forms at USPS (where you have to go anyway).
  - mattkrause 4y ago
    There was a beta website that let you do the most straightfoward sorts of renewals online (renewing a "normal" passport and having it shipped to the US).
    - gonehome 4y ago
      Yeah that's what the article mentions, but sounds like that's not available to most of the public (and the comment I replied to seemed to not be talking about that?)
  - kayodelycaon 4y ago
    https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-pa... In the right sidebar: Passport Forms DS-82: Renewal Application Fill Out Online From what I recall, I was able to submit everything electronically and mail in my passport by itself.
    - gonehome 4y ago
      Yeah - I'm pretty sure that's what I did. It has you fill out the forms electronically, but all that does is put the text into the field which you then have to print, staple your photo to, and mail. You can't submit anything online.
- atyppo 4y ago
  I've heard of people with appointments at 8AM and a passport being delivered to their door by 10AM in emergency situations. Not hard to contact your congressperson to get this done. They love this as it involves almost no effort and is great PR.
  - Arrath 4y ago
    Yup, my dad was able to arrange this once.
  - matwood 4y ago
    You just have book an appointment and get to a consulate. We were going overseas with some friends and a few nights before, one of the people realized their passport was so close to expiring they were likely to be denied entry (many times countries will not let you in if your passport could expire while you're there). They booked an emergency appt. in ATL, drove the 6ish hours, then got their flights changed to leave from ATL. They got it same day if I remember correctly, and flew out that night or the next morning.
- sidewndr46 4y ago
  If by "do everything online" you mean print out a few forms and go do it in person, then yep you can do it online!
- apaprocki 4y ago
  For my qualifying emergency I called the duty officer, explained the situation, selected a 9am appointment, spent not even 10 minutes in the passport office and was told to come back to pick it up at 2pm. Walked in and was handed an envelope in less than a minute. Most pleasant government experience, by far — it just doesn’t scale.
- tombert 4y ago
  My passport was expired in 2019, and I had a trip to Germany, meaning I had to renew it. I was actually amazed how efficient the system for passports was. I mailed in my old passport and a new photo, and in less than a week I had a brand new passport arrive in the mail. The process was actually pleasantly painless for me.
Victerius 4y ago
It's nice not to have to provide external references to renew your passport. Canadian passport holders have to provide two references to renew their Canadian passport. I'm a birth citizen and have never lived anywhere else. And my reference couldn't be family members. As an introvert, it wasn't easy, but I managed to find two people. The Canadian government should abolish the requirement to provide references to renew a passport. It's pointless and creates a burden for people who are not extroverts with dozens of friends.
- bogota 4y ago
  Wow that is a really stupid rule I wonder what they are trying to accomplish with that. More unnecessary government crap.
  - kayodelycaon 4y ago
    It gives them more data to work with because they can background check your references. And plenty of people will pick someone who won't vouch for them.
    - bogota 4y ago
      Why is a background check that includes references needed for a passport? Its not the governments job to determine if you are a likable person and i hope they don’t rely on those likely very shallow checks to determine anything.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
  - refurb 4y ago
    Tons of fraud is why.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
cosentiyes 4y ago
I went through this process the other day with an expired passport and it took two weeks from submitting my documents online to getting a new passport and passport card. I had paid for expedited processing and shipping. Overall a great experience.
- Aaargh20318 4y ago
  That sounds like a terrible experience to be honest. Two weeks for the expedited procedure ? The normal procedure here (Netherlands) takes 5 working days. If you pay for the expedited procedure and you order one before 14:00 you can pick up your passport the next day after 10:00.
  - cosentiyes 4y ago
    I don't think 2-5 (if not expedited) weeks is too unreasonable for something you need to do once every 10 years. I have no idea what is actually entailed in the process, but maybe population size accounts for the timing difference. As another comment said, if you really need it rushed (ie have a valid reason) and your passport has not expired, the time is as short as 3 days.
    - Aaargh20318 4y ago
      I don’t see how population size would affect it. You’d need more capacity to print them, but that’s just throughput. I don’t see why it should affect latency. They basically need to print it and bind it into a booklet. When you order one you have to provide a new photo and fingerprint scan, but that is sent digitally. All the other data they need they just take from the citizen registry database.
      - cosentiyes 4y ago
        There's obviously some tradeoff between hiring more people to process and verify an increased number of applications at faster throughput. Shipping times from DE/DC to CA are probably longer than coast-to-coast in the Netherlands, etc. At the end of the day, 5 weeks standard, 2 weeks priority, and X days rushed are perfectly reasonable turnarounds for a process that only needs to be done once every ten years. Uploading my documents took <10 minutes and I wouldn't have needed it any faster. This is a far stretch from "terrible" and optimizing it for more capacity is probably a waste of resources.
vonzepp 4y ago
Did my Irish passport recently, it was all online. Your old passport is rendered null once your new one is issued.
spacedcowboy 4y ago
I renewed my UK passport from 6000 miles away in sunny CA. Took a week for it to arrive. Just been to the post office to renew the kids US passport which requires both parents to be there or notarized documents to say why not. Estimated delivery is 14 weeks. My (US) wife continues to be in awe of the UK services compared to the US. I just wish the bus would come on time when I'm over there...
- pfranz 4y ago
  I do think it's worth noting for kids in the US there is no "renewal." Each time it's considered a new application.
- refurb 4y ago
  My friend renewed US passport overseas at a consulate last month. Had new passport in hand one week later. Regular service. They can be fast if they want to.
- Dobbs 4y ago
  Isn't the both parents required to be there to stop kidnapping and other issues?
  - notch656a 4y ago
    Yeah but it's a retarded rule. The other parent can sail the kid into international waters and back without a passport, this prevents nothing. If someone's willing to kidnap a child this does absolutely nothing to stop them, except make sure any international border crossing is done in the most dangerous ways possible.
    - Dobbs 4y ago
      Additional barriers might not stop all issues, but heavily reduce them.
      - notch656a 4y ago
CalRobert 4y ago
Next make the fees non-extortionate. My kid's Irish passport costs €25 to renew. Her US passport is €130. We wouldn't even bother with the US one except that it's illegal for her to enter the US on anything but a US passport. If we showed up with her Consular Report of Birth Abroad (which proves her US citizenship) could they legally refuse her entry to the US? I don't know. But €130 to enter a country of which you're a citizen is annoying.
- dataflow 4y ago
  > illegal for her to enter the US on anything but a US passport From what I recall reading on the internet (don't blame me if it's wrong), it's "illegal" but there's no actual penalty on the books. Apparently they scold you and give you a hard time, but let you pass through, since citizens are required to be allowed entry. (And I mean, consider what if you lost your passport during your trip?) I don't personally know anyone who's actually tried this so I have no idea how true it is in reality.
  - orangepurple 4y ago
    How would you board your aircraft without a valid travel document? The air carriers won't let you.
    - dataflow 4y ago
      > How would you board your aircraft without a valid travel document? You lose your passport after boarding, or bring a certificate of naturalization, birth certificate, etc. that proves your citizenship. Or in the parent's case, try with the "Consular Report of Birth Abroad". I have no idea if the US accepts that, but it seems to me it should, since it proves citizenship which implies that person can't be denied entry.
      - pessimizer 4y ago
        > You lose your passport after boarding The problem being discussed is the price of US passports, not trying to figure out how to enter the US without a passport that you've paid for.
useful 4y ago
Near the end of last year, I had to renew my passport that had expired. I had to travel and was in a sweet spot window where I couldn't renew it and get it in time and I couldn't just go to a passport office and get one. I ended up having to drive to El Paso, which was the only passport office that was open in the entire United States! I had to wait until a few days before my flight. There were people from all over staying in a hotel waiting for their passport. They had standby flights to leave once they got it. I met people from California, Arizona, Michigan, New York, and Florida. It was totally ridiculous.
- ghaff 4y ago
  Last year wasn't exactly typical. (I haven't needed it but I was very glad I renewed my passport pre-pandemic given that it was nearly out of pages even though it had a few years left.)
toomuchtodo 4y ago
This is part of the White House’s executive order on improving digital service delivery. > Sec. 4. Agency Actions to Improve Customer Experience. (a) The Secretary of State shall design and deliver a new online passport renewal experience that does not require any physical documents to be mailed. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/13/executive-order-on-transforming-federal-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-to-rebuild-trust-in-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-action...
- elil17 4y ago
  Between this and open access to federally funded research it seems like we may be in for a slew of common sense executive orders ahead of the midterms. Some minor bug fixes for the federal government, if you will.
  - toomuchtodo 4y ago
    Common sense for sure, but def not 1-3 story points. More like a decent product owner at the helm now, driving product in the appropriate direction.
  - throwayyy479087 4y ago
    Governments under threat of competition produce positive results.
    - umeshunni 4y ago
      That explains a lot about California
    - nine_zeros 4y ago
      We just have a sensible executive that makes lives easier.
juliansimioni 4y ago
I just renewed my passport completely online through their beta program, and it was amazing. Only about two weeks from when I submitted the form to my new passport arriving. Hopefully that's the rough timeline for everyone going forward, but I wonder if they are able to process things faster right now due to lower volume.
Ekaros 4y ago
Here in Finland I can order a passport or ID card online, just need to add a photo to system. But now I need to go to police station to give sample of handwriting and possibly update my fingerprints... Waste of time. They already have both, but those are too old...
mrtweetyhack 4y ago
notch656a 4y ago
Hopefully they'll accept these ones. A few border entries ago, CBP told me they recognized my US passport but they weren't going to let me in anyway. Several hours and interrogations later they finally admitted they had to let in a US citizen, "but remember we can cancel your passport." LOL.
InTheArena 4y ago
The passport process in the USA is beyond awful. I just had to renew passports for my three kids, and my wife. It took a call to my local house of representatives office (who referred me to a different rep) to make it happen after 6 months. Anything to do with the government is beyond awful. From a country that practically invented modern software, modern SaaS solutions, modern mobile apps, it's a total disgrace.
krapp 4y ago
Wow, that's crazy. At this rate, the US will be like a modern country in no time.
- Avamander 4y ago
  Only a decade behind. Same goes with FedNow, which will be ready soon. Who knows, maybe things are finally starting to catch up?
ugh123 4y ago
Just spent 2 hours at a passport office to renew. I even had an "appointment" :(
jedberg 4y ago
Passports should be automatic for every American and free. I'm not sure what the downside would be, other than the relatively small cost.
- ars 4y ago
  There is a rule somewhere that Passport processing must pay for itself with user fees, i.e. that it should not cost any taxes at all to do it. Considering how expensive a passport is, there's something about the process that's very expensive, don't know what.
  - jedberg 4y ago
    Right, they should repeal that rule. The expense is in the verification of physical documents. But if they do this online system for everyone then the cost would go way down. And even if it didn't, it would cost perhaps $3B a year (because they last for 10 years). That's pocket change to the US government. Not to mention the savings from dropping the RealID program, which would be unnecessary.
    - brewdad 4y ago
      I agree with what you are saying but it would be the perfect encapsulation of US government in the 21st century to eliminate the RealID program after a decade or more of working to get all 50 states on board.
  - notch656a 4y ago
    If that's a great concept, they should extend that to the rest of government services.
    - ars 4y ago
      For the most part, they do. A lot of services are paid for be user fees: Permits, Licenses, Inspections, Customs for commercial shipping, even Airport Security is paid for by surcharges on your ticket. Car License plates, Drivers Licenses, National Park entrance fees. It's basically: Did you ask for it? Pay for it.
bluedino 4y ago
When I got mine a few years ago, it was a process. Mailing in forms. Going to get photos taken and having to mail physical copies in. Waiting for weeks.
gourabmi 4y ago
I renewed my Indian passport 8000 miles away in California. The process took me around 10 days, no physical visits necessary. Honestly, I am quite impressed at the Indian passport services these days , both in the country and abroad.
ars 4y ago
The whole paper process was foolish anyway - you go online to fill out an application, which then prints a bar code on the paper for them to scan. (They don't actually read the text on the form, it's all by the barcode.) They scan the photo you send in anyway, and then print it on the passport. So they don't actually need you to ever so carefully make sure the photo is the right size. It's like the joke about printing a document, then taking a picture of it on a wooden table: https://thedailywtf.com/articles/Web_0_0x2e_1 https://thedailywtf.com/articles/Web_0_0x2e_1 Just upload the info, upload a digital photo, and cut out all the paper.
open-source-ux 4y ago
Aisde: If you apply for a passport for the very first time, does it require someone to countersign your application? Or some means to verify you? For example, in the UK, we have no national ID card. So, first-time passport applications and photos must be signed by someone else (the ‘countersignatory’) to prove the identity of the person applying. (From GOV.UK) Your countersignatory must: - have known you for at least 2 years - be able to identify you, for example they’re a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just someone who knows you professionally) - be ‘a person of good standing in their community’ or work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession (there is a accepted occupations for countersignatories) The countersignatory signs one of you photos and application. As far I'm aware, there is no real way to verify the countersignatory. How are brand new passports issued in other countries when identity is required?
- kyawzazaw 4y ago
  In Myanmar, national ID card. Household document that list the member of household.
slenk 4y ago
I am super paranoid about passports since when I got my first one in 2020, USPS delivered it to the wrong house. They never got it back. So there is a passport of me out there in someone's hands. I had it cancelled and got a new one issued, but who knows how often just my photo ID is being used :S. And the fact that they have all the info from my passport.
cjcampbell 4y ago
This change will be quite welcome. The most difficult part of my last renewal was to find a working stapler in order to attach the passport photo. The experience had me questioning whether we are really living in 2022.
skinnymuch 4y ago
I renewed my passport online. It went so fast. I already got an email today saying the renewed passport shipped. It took a couple of weeks only.

124 points by avonmach 4y ago

For anyone not reading the article, if you have a non-expired passport, you can already do everything online. Except! You need to mail in your current passport. There are also expedited processing options. The ones I saw last year weren't terribly expensive. Edit: Fastest is 3 days, if you have emergency that qualifies. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fas...

jrochkind1 4y ago
That's interesting, the OP was I guess not quite right on this. Not having to mail in your current passport is huge though. I hate being without a passport for the 2-3 months it currently takes, even if I have no travel planned (and what if I did?).
- ghaff 4y ago
  There were a lot of major delays during the pandemic. Otherwise, you can get a new passport very quickly but you might want to pay a visa/passport service to handle it for you--although I'm not sure they add a lot of value these days.
  - jrochkind1 4y ago
    I think last time I renewed was pre-pandemic, but post-Trump, which I don't recall what that had to do with it, but do recall that passport renewals were already seriously slowed down -- I think I had to wait about 6 weeks. I don't know for sure what it was before that, since the last time I renewed was 10 years before that. But being without a passport for even 2 weeks makes me nervous. It's a security blanket to know I have it to make last-minute international travel possible if necessary. An online renewal where you don't have to send your old passport in and can keep it until your new arrives is a huge thing. (Granted, your old passport will probably become invalid at some point before you receive your new passport, but after it's actually been created. Still the time without a valid passport will be minimal).
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
atdrummond 4y ago
You can get same day passport at a State Department office. Even without an appointment, if you’re willing to risk not being seen that day.
- thinkharderdev 4y ago
  Did that recently change? I had to renew my passport at the office this year and it was very strictly by appointment only.
  - atdrummond 4y ago
    They don’t want you to know but I recently did a same day renewal at Seattle and like Chicago and SF’s offices, there is a line for people without appointments. I’d say I saw 60 people go to that one and maybe half got helped - if that’s helpful info.
gonehome 4y ago
Where are you seeing the ability to do it online? You can't as far as I can tell (I just did it). > "Currently, the process requires filling out a renewal application called DS-82, providing a passport-sized photo, and calculating fees, plus tossing the current passport and potentially other identification papers in the mail. “It’s scary to mail in your [old] passport, marriage certificate, and other documents and hope you’ll get them back,” Rathner says." You need to print the forms, staple a proper photo to them, and mail all your crap via USPS. The only thing you can do online is print the form (you can fill in the data first, but that's not the hard part). When I hear "you can already do everything online" I think click submit and be done. You can't currently do that. It's barely a step above picking up the forms at USPS (where you have to go anyway).
- mattkrause 4y ago
  There was a beta website that let you do the most straightfoward sorts of renewals online (renewing a "normal" passport and having it shipped to the US).
  - gonehome 4y ago
    Yeah that's what the article mentions, but sounds like that's not available to most of the public (and the comment I replied to seemed to not be talking about that?)
- kayodelycaon 4y ago
  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-pa... In the right sidebar: Passport Forms DS-82: Renewal Application Fill Out Online From what I recall, I was able to submit everything electronically and mail in my passport by itself.
  - gonehome 4y ago
    Yeah - I'm pretty sure that's what I did. It has you fill out the forms electronically, but all that does is put the text into the field which you then have to print, staple your photo to, and mail. You can't submit anything online.
atyppo 4y ago
I've heard of people with appointments at 8AM and a passport being delivered to their door by 10AM in emergency situations. Not hard to contact your congressperson to get this done. They love this as it involves almost no effort and is great PR.
- Arrath 4y ago
  Yup, my dad was able to arrange this once.
- matwood 4y ago
  You just have book an appointment and get to a consulate. We were going overseas with some friends and a few nights before, one of the people realized their passport was so close to expiring they were likely to be denied entry (many times countries will not let you in if your passport could expire while you're there). They booked an emergency appt. in ATL, drove the 6ish hours, then got their flights changed to leave from ATL. They got it same day if I remember correctly, and flew out that night or the next morning.
sidewndr46 4y ago
If by "do everything online" you mean print out a few forms and go do it in person, then yep you can do it online!
apaprocki 4y ago
For my qualifying emergency I called the duty officer, explained the situation, selected a 9am appointment, spent not even 10 minutes in the passport office and was told to come back to pick it up at 2pm. Walked in and was handed an envelope in less than a minute. Most pleasant government experience, by far — it just doesn’t scale.
tombert 4y ago
My passport was expired in 2019, and I had a trip to Germany, meaning I had to renew it. I was actually amazed how efficient the system for passports was. I mailed in my old passport and a new photo, and in less than a week I had a brand new passport arrive in the mail. The process was actually pleasantly painless for me.

Victerius 4y ago

It's nice not to have to provide external references to renew your passport. Canadian passport holders have to provide two references to renew their Canadian passport. I'm a birth citizen and have never lived anywhere else. And my reference couldn't be family members. As an introvert, it wasn't easy, but I managed to find two people. The Canadian government should abolish the requirement to provide references to renew a passport. It's pointless and creates a burden for people who are not extroverts with dozens of friends.

bogota 4y ago
Wow that is a really stupid rule I wonder what they are trying to accomplish with that. More unnecessary government crap.
- kayodelycaon 4y ago
  It gives them more data to work with because they can background check your references. And plenty of people will pick someone who won't vouch for them.
  - bogota 4y ago
    Why is a background check that includes references needed for a passport? Its not the governments job to determine if you are a likable person and i hope they don’t rely on those likely very shallow checks to determine anything.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- refurb 4y ago
  Tons of fraud is why.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]

cosentiyes 4y ago

I went through this process the other day with an expired passport and it took two weeks from submitting my documents online to getting a new passport and passport card. I had paid for expedited processing and shipping. Overall a great experience.

Aaargh20318 4y ago
That sounds like a terrible experience to be honest. Two weeks for the expedited procedure ? The normal procedure here (Netherlands) takes 5 working days. If you pay for the expedited procedure and you order one before 14:00 you can pick up your passport the next day after 10:00.
- cosentiyes 4y ago
  I don't think 2-5 (if not expedited) weeks is too unreasonable for something you need to do once every 10 years. I have no idea what is actually entailed in the process, but maybe population size accounts for the timing difference. As another comment said, if you really need it rushed (ie have a valid reason) and your passport has not expired, the time is as short as 3 days.
  - Aaargh20318 4y ago
    I don’t see how population size would affect it. You’d need more capacity to print them, but that’s just throughput. I don’t see why it should affect latency. They basically need to print it and bind it into a booklet. When you order one you have to provide a new photo and fingerprint scan, but that is sent digitally. All the other data they need they just take from the citizen registry database.
    - cosentiyes 4y ago
      There's obviously some tradeoff between hiring more people to process and verify an increased number of applications at faster throughput. Shipping times from DE/DC to CA are probably longer than coast-to-coast in the Netherlands, etc. At the end of the day, 5 weeks standard, 2 weeks priority, and X days rushed are perfectly reasonable turnarounds for a process that only needs to be done once every ten years. Uploading my documents took <10 minutes and I wouldn't have needed it any faster. This is a far stretch from "terrible" and optimizing it for more capacity is probably a waste of resources.

vonzepp 4y ago

Did my Irish passport recently, it was all online. Your old passport is rendered null once your new one is issued.

spacedcowboy 4y ago

I renewed my UK passport from 6000 miles away in sunny CA. Took a week for it to arrive. Just been to the post office to renew the kids US passport which requires both parents to be there or notarized documents to say why not. Estimated delivery is 14 weeks. My (US) wife continues to be in awe of the UK services compared to the US. I just wish the bus would come on time when I'm over there...

pfranz 4y ago
I do think it's worth noting for kids in the US there is no "renewal." Each time it's considered a new application.
refurb 4y ago
My friend renewed US passport overseas at a consulate last month. Had new passport in hand one week later. Regular service. They can be fast if they want to.
Dobbs 4y ago
Isn't the both parents required to be there to stop kidnapping and other issues?
- notch656a 4y ago
  Yeah but it's a retarded rule. The other parent can sail the kid into international waters and back without a passport, this prevents nothing. If someone's willing to kidnap a child this does absolutely nothing to stop them, except make sure any international border crossing is done in the most dangerous ways possible.
  - Dobbs 4y ago
    Additional barriers might not stop all issues, but heavily reduce them.
    - notch656a 4y ago

CalRobert 4y ago

Next make the fees non-extortionate. My kid's Irish passport costs €25 to renew. Her US passport is €130. We wouldn't even bother with the US one except that it's illegal for her to enter the US on anything but a US passport. If we showed up with her Consular Report of Birth Abroad (which proves her US citizenship) could they legally refuse her entry to the US? I don't know. But €130 to enter a country of which you're a citizen is annoying.

dataflow 4y ago
> illegal for her to enter the US on anything but a US passport From what I recall reading on the internet (don't blame me if it's wrong), it's "illegal" but there's no actual penalty on the books. Apparently they scold you and give you a hard time, but let you pass through, since citizens are required to be allowed entry. (And I mean, consider what if you lost your passport during your trip?) I don't personally know anyone who's actually tried this so I have no idea how true it is in reality.
- orangepurple 4y ago
  How would you board your aircraft without a valid travel document? The air carriers won't let you.
  - dataflow 4y ago
    > How would you board your aircraft without a valid travel document? You lose your passport after boarding, or bring a certificate of naturalization, birth certificate, etc. that proves your citizenship. Or in the parent's case, try with the "Consular Report of Birth Abroad". I have no idea if the US accepts that, but it seems to me it should, since it proves citizenship which implies that person can't be denied entry.
    - pessimizer 4y ago
      > You lose your passport after boarding The problem being discussed is the price of US passports, not trying to figure out how to enter the US without a passport that you've paid for.

useful 4y ago

Near the end of last year, I had to renew my passport that had expired. I had to travel and was in a sweet spot window where I couldn't renew it and get it in time and I couldn't just go to a passport office and get one. I ended up having to drive to El Paso, which was the only passport office that was open in the entire United States! I had to wait until a few days before my flight. There were people from all over staying in a hotel waiting for their passport. They had standby flights to leave once they got it. I met people from California, Arizona, Michigan, New York, and Florida. It was totally ridiculous.

ghaff 4y ago
Last year wasn't exactly typical. (I haven't needed it but I was very glad I renewed my passport pre-pandemic given that it was nearly out of pages even though it had a few years left.)

toomuchtodo 4y ago

This is part of the White House’s executive order on improving digital service delivery. > Sec. 4. Agency Actions to Improve Customer Experience. (a) The Secretary of State shall design and deliver a new online passport renewal experience that does not require any physical documents to be mailed. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/13/executive-order-on-transforming-federal-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-to-rebuild-trust-in-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-action...

elil17 4y ago
Between this and open access to federally funded research it seems like we may be in for a slew of common sense executive orders ahead of the midterms. Some minor bug fixes for the federal government, if you will.
- toomuchtodo 4y ago
  Common sense for sure, but def not 1-3 story points. More like a decent product owner at the helm now, driving product in the appropriate direction.
- throwayyy479087 4y ago
  Governments under threat of competition produce positive results.
  - umeshunni 4y ago
    That explains a lot about California
  - nine_zeros 4y ago
    We just have a sensible executive that makes lives easier.

juliansimioni 4y ago

I just renewed my passport completely online through their beta program, and it was amazing. Only about two weeks from when I submitted the form to my new passport arriving. Hopefully that's the rough timeline for everyone going forward, but I wonder if they are able to process things faster right now due to lower volume.

Ekaros 4y ago

Here in Finland I can order a passport or ID card online, just need to add a photo to system. But now I need to go to police station to give sample of handwriting and possibly update my fingerprints... Waste of time. They already have both, but those are too old...

mrtweetyhack 4y ago

notch656a 4y ago

Hopefully they'll accept these ones. A few border entries ago, CBP told me they recognized my US passport but they weren't going to let me in anyway. Several hours and interrogations later they finally admitted they had to let in a US citizen, "but remember we can cancel your passport." LOL.

InTheArena 4y ago

The passport process in the USA is beyond awful. I just had to renew passports for my three kids, and my wife. It took a call to my local house of representatives office (who referred me to a different rep) to make it happen after 6 months. Anything to do with the government is beyond awful. From a country that practically invented modern software, modern SaaS solutions, modern mobile apps, it's a total disgrace.

krapp 4y ago

Wow, that's crazy. At this rate, the US will be like a modern country in no time.

Avamander 4y ago
Only a decade behind. Same goes with FedNow, which will be ready soon. Who knows, maybe things are finally starting to catch up?

ugh123 4y ago

Just spent 2 hours at a passport office to renew. I even had an "appointment" :(

jedberg 4y ago

Passports should be automatic for every American and free. I'm not sure what the downside would be, other than the relatively small cost.

ars 4y ago
There is a rule somewhere that Passport processing must pay for itself with user fees, i.e. that it should not cost any taxes at all to do it. Considering how expensive a passport is, there's something about the process that's very expensive, don't know what.
- jedberg 4y ago
  Right, they should repeal that rule. The expense is in the verification of physical documents. But if they do this online system for everyone then the cost would go way down. And even if it didn't, it would cost perhaps $3B a year (because they last for 10 years). That's pocket change to the US government. Not to mention the savings from dropping the RealID program, which would be unnecessary.
  - brewdad 4y ago
    I agree with what you are saying but it would be the perfect encapsulation of US government in the 21st century to eliminate the RealID program after a decade or more of working to get all 50 states on board.
- notch656a 4y ago
  If that's a great concept, they should extend that to the rest of government services.
  - ars 4y ago
    For the most part, they do. A lot of services are paid for be user fees: Permits, Licenses, Inspections, Customs for commercial shipping, even Airport Security is paid for by surcharges on your ticket. Car License plates, Drivers Licenses, National Park entrance fees. It's basically: Did you ask for it? Pay for it.

bluedino 4y ago

When I got mine a few years ago, it was a process. Mailing in forms. Going to get photos taken and having to mail physical copies in. Waiting for weeks.

gourabmi 4y ago

I renewed my Indian passport 8000 miles away in California. The process took me around 10 days, no physical visits necessary. Honestly, I am quite impressed at the Indian passport services these days , both in the country and abroad.

ars 4y ago

The whole paper process was foolish anyway - you go online to fill out an application, which then prints a bar code on the paper for them to scan. (They don't actually read the text on the form, it's all by the barcode.) They scan the photo you send in anyway, and then print it on the passport. So they don't actually need you to ever so carefully make sure the photo is the right size. It's like the joke about printing a document, then taking a picture of it on a wooden table: https://thedailywtf.com/articles/Web_0_0x2e_1 https://thedailywtf.com/articles/Web_0_0x2e_1 Just upload the info, upload a digital photo, and cut out all the paper.

open-source-ux 4y ago

Aisde: If you apply for a passport for the very first time, does it require someone to countersign your application? Or some means to verify you? For example, in the UK, we have no national ID card. So, first-time passport applications and photos must be signed by someone else (the ‘countersignatory’) to prove the identity of the person applying. (From GOV.UK) Your countersignatory must: - have known you for at least 2 years - be able to identify you, for example they’re a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just someone who knows you professionally) - be ‘a person of good standing in their community’ or work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession (there is a accepted occupations for countersignatories) The countersignatory signs one of you photos and application. As far I'm aware, there is no real way to verify the countersignatory. How are brand new passports issued in other countries when identity is required?

kyawzazaw 4y ago
In Myanmar, national ID card. Household document that list the member of household.

slenk 4y ago

I am super paranoid about passports since when I got my first one in 2020, USPS delivered it to the wrong house. They never got it back. So there is a passport of me out there in someone's hands. I had it cancelled and got a new one issued, but who knows how often just my photo ID is being used :S. And the fact that they have all the info from my passport.

cjcampbell 4y ago

This change will be quite welcome. The most difficult part of my last renewal was to find a working stapler in order to attach the passport photo. The experience had me questioning whether we are really living in 2022.

skinnymuch 4y ago

I renewed my passport online. It went so fast. I already got an email today saying the renewed passport shipped. It took a couple of weeks only.