Question: Is renewing a passport as bad as last summer? My current passport is not expired, but it will be by the end of the summer.
Answer: No, processing times have returned to pre-pandemic norms, which is six to eight weeks for routine service and two to three weeks for expedited service that costs $60 more, according to the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. However, processing times do not include mail delivery, which can add up to four weeks (two weeks to mail in your application plus two weeks to mail out your passport), the bureau says, although those mailing times seem conservative to us.
At any rate, processing is quicker than last summer, when routine service took 10 to 12 weeks and expedited service took seven to nine weeks, not including mailing time.
Customers might cut the lag time by renewing online, a service the bureau just relaunched on a limited basis. The online portal is open briefly each day, and only routine processing is available, but overall service may be quicker because you don’t mail in the application. This beta testing is expected to last several months, as the bureau prepares to fully relaunch online renewals, which previously were available for several months until March 2023.
“You may not be able to start your application on the day of your choice. The system will open for a limited midday Eastern time window each day, and will close once we reach our limit for the day. If you are unable to start your application, try again on another day. If you do not want to wait or do not qualify to renew online, you may also renew by mail now,” according to the bureau’s website, travel.state.gov.
Media reports have said the window opens around noon or 1 p.m. Eastern time, which is 6 or 7 a.m. Hawaii time.
The website says U.S. citizens can renew online if they meet the following requirements:
>> “The passport you are renewing is or was valid for 10 years, and you are age 25 or older.”
>> “The passport you are renewing was issued between 2009 and 2015, or over nine years but less than 15 years from the date you plan to submit your application.”
>> “You are not changing your name, gender, date of birth, or place of birth.”
>> “You are not traveling internationally for at least eight weeks from the date you will submit your application. We will only offer routine service during this limited release, and the time it takes to get a passport will be the same as renewing by mail.”
>> “You are applying for a regular (tourist) passport. You cannot renew a special issuance (diplomatic, official, service) passport online.”
>> “You live in the United States (either state or territory). You do not qualify to renew online if you live in a foreign country or have an Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) address.”
>> “You have your passport with you, and it is not damaged or mutilated, and you have not previously reported it as lost or stolen. Keep your most recent passport and do not mail it to us.”
>> “You can pay for your passport using a credit or debit card.”
>> “You can upload a digital passport photo.”
>> “You are aware that the passport you are renewing will be canceled after you submit your application and you cannot use it for international travel.”
People ineligible to renew online may be able to renew by mail or in person. People getting their first U.S. passport must appear in person. Find details about all the ways to renew a U.S. passport or obtain one for the first time on the website.
Mahalo
A big heartfelt mahalo to those kind people on June 5 who helped us poor city dwellers lost on the Windward side! First, the road crew in Kaneohe who directed traffic to head us back in the right direction to Windward Shopping Center; then the friendly workers in Ross Store who helped us find the satellite city hall license renewal site; and last but not least, the patient man who stopped mowing his lawn to run and get his cellphone to give us accurate directions to the H-1 and on track back to town. Awesome folks! — M.L.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
