Online Passport Renewal - UPDATE

My somewhat cynical and sarcastic response would be that elections have consequences.

My reasonable response is that they told you from the outset it would be 4-6 weeks, so chill a bit.

It's been 16 days and everyone is out of patience though it routinely take 4-6 weeks? I'm sure his is soon to be on the way.

Andrea,

Did you receive any other notifications after the May 6 notification of review for your passport before your passport arrived?

His application is probably in someone else's computer queue who isn't as efficient as your processer.

I found that the tracking and notification system was not terribly reliable (I did the by-mail version but I believe they use the same system). I got my new passport back and never received any notice that it was being processed or that it was on its way. When I checked the passport status page it just said "in process" even after I had my new one. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/status.html

They also use the same language for online and mail renewals regardless if it applies to you. "Supporting documents" are used with a mail in passport. If you had needed any of those it would have kicked you out of the online renewal and required you to renew by mail. Here's what those documents might be for a renewal passport:

If the name you are using is different from the name on your most
recent U.S. passport, you must provide a certified copy of the legal
name change document. Examples include:

Marriage certificate

Divorce decree

Court-ordered name change document

We will return your name change document in a separate mailing from
your new passport.

As noted by others, your passports were likely processed by different people, potentially not even in the same location. If your husband doesn't have a passport by June 14 (six weeks) then I would start making phone calls.

In January my husband and I both renewed our passports online. As for the "reviewing supporting documents" that's just boiler plate language and if it's a standard renewal with nothing new like a name change, you won't need to submit anything else.

I received my new passport in something like 2 weeks. My husband did not and heard crickets for at least 2 more weeks. Then his passport arrived. Our passports were processed by different locations. Plus my husband was bald in his renewal application. He was not bald before. So I'm assuming that the different processing locations plus the "new look" had something to do with the delay.

Hi Andrea, my neighbor to the Northeast!

Ah, the vagaries of the online passport renewal system... I went through this 2+ years ago, shortly before they had to pause the online passport renewal due to high demand. It might be helpful to read this thread from that era:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/online-passport-application-processing-time

Some of the details in that older thread are now outdated, but I suspect that some of the details (especially re: timelines) are still relevant.

See my 3/1/23 post in the above thread, where I described details that may help you figure out next steps if your husband's passport is significantly delayed (and you're not even close to that point). See especially item #2 in my post, which details how long your husband should wait to contact the Technical Support dept. I had to contact tech support after no movement nearly 3 months after submitting my renewal, and that call is what got things moving quickly. It took 3 months from submitting the online renewal to the new passport landing in my mailbox.

How amazing that you have already received yours. That's a quick turnaround, especially if you didn't request an expedited passport.

There is an additional fee for a Passport Card. Perhaps that explains the additional $65 fee that your friend had to pay.

I do not recall needing to provide any additional documents for the online renewal. I agree that the "supporting documents" reference is simply generic "boilerplate" language that you should ignore.

Thanks for the replies.

jphbucks and KD, we have not run out of patience, it’s just interesting that I got mine so quickly and he hasn’t heard anything since it was accepted.

jeanm, I did receive email updates on 5/15 that they were printing my passport book, that routine service could take 4-6 weeks and then at the bottom of the email that I should receive it on or around 5/21. I received another email on 5/15 that they shipped it that day by Priority Mail. Again it said I should receive it on or around 5/21 and some more language about sending supporting documents separately. Remember I didn’t send any supporting documents and I still have possession of my old passport. I get daily email notifications from USPS (United States Postal Service) telling me what is coming in my mail and beginning on 5/16 it showed that awaiting from sender was something from Passport Services. On 5/17 it said to expect the passport on 5/19. I got a second email from USPS on 5/17 that said it was expected by 5/19 and had a tracking number. Curiously I received another email on 5/18 telling me they approved my application and they are now printing the passport. Huh? That email had the 4-6 week language and then said I should get it on or around 5/24. Remember, I received it on 5/19. My husband hasn’t received anything since May 6 when he was told they were reviewing it.

We don’t need them until the end of August and the passports we had were not expiring until 2/1/26. We renewed early because we will be leaving for Europe on 8/31 and not returning home until 11/17. I didn’t want to run into any problems with it expiring less than 3 months from our return and I don’t know what our plans are for next year so I wanted to be sure we had new passports before we leave for our trip.

Trotter, thanks for your explanation and letting me know you had a similar experience. We can wait a few weeks before making an inquiry.

Lynne, I will have to ask my friend if she also got the passport card. She just had a very odd experience overall compared to mine. My daughter’s middle name is Lynne. :-)

We don’t need them until the end of August and the passports we had were not expiring until 2/1/26. We renewed early because we will be leaving for Europe on 8/31 and not returning home until 11/17. I didn’t want to run into any problems with it expiring less than 3 months from our return and I don’t know what our plans are for next year so I wanted to be sure we had new passports before we leave for our trip.

You were wise to renew when you did, especially given the uncertainty and brain drain in the Federal workforce. If you indicated your 8/31/25 departure in your renewal application, that can only help to get things moving. I'm confident he will receive his passport well before 8/31/25. And now you know when to start nudging if you don't see progress by Day 56 post application date.

I too found their tracking and notification system to be confusing and contradictory. When I had to call tech support on Day 56 to nudge, I offered my feedback about the confusing website content, and that this has likely resulted in a higher call volume to their tech support line. It appears that my feedback fell on deaf ears.

Your current saga (and mine 2 years ago) is an important reminder to renew with adequate time. Actually, you aren't really renewing early, as many countries require that your passport be current for a full 6 moths AFTER your return travel date (e.g., must be current through 5/17/26 for a 11/17/25 return flight in your case). I have heard stories of people who were unable to board their international flight to wherever because their passport would expire within that 6-month window. Wow, now there's a showstopper that will harshen your buzz and dampen your travel dreams! I think that the expiration window varies by country, but always worth the effort to check the particulars.

My daughter’s middle name is Lynne. :-)

Yes, a common middle name. I have a feeling that, just like me, people misspell it ALL the time :-(

Andrea,
The old passport has always been returned in a separate mailing from your new one, and usually a couple of weeks (or more) later.

The old passport has always been returned in a separate mailing from your new one, and usually a couple of weeks (or more) later.

This is true if renewing by mail, not for online renewal. Even with all the fits and starts and delays I experienced 2 years ago with the online renewal, one of the advantages is that there is no need to relinquish your existing passport. However, at some point during the online renewal process, your current passport will be inactivated. This is worth noting if you have more than one international trip scheduled in quick succession, and you're trying to figure out when to renew. A bit of strategy involved in that case. Probably not much of an issue for those who have long trip planning arcs.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/online-us-passport-renewal-8-days

“You were wise to renew when you did, especially given the uncertainty and brain drain in the Federal workforce. If you indicated your 8/31/25 departure in your renewal application, that can only help to get things moving. I'm confident he will receive his passport well before 8/31/25. And now you know when to start nudging if you don't see progress by Day 56 post application date.”

Lynne, we did not indicate our departure date because it was months away. I’m hoping he gets an email soon telling him where it is in the process.

Updated to add that my husband got his first email yesterday since 5/6, advising him that his passport would arrive on the 27th. It was in the mail today, 5/24.

So 3 weeks total; a 4-6 processing time is what is published as what it should take.
Things seem to be functioning well as regards passport issuance

I renewed online in March 16. I received a note April 3 that they were printing my passport---but I received it April 5. I will say that I was surprised that I did not have to sign for it.

Renewing my Canadian passport was even slicker. A couple of weeks ago we were in British Columbia for a couple of family memorials. I went into a Canada Service Center in Salmon Arm, BC on Monday morning to submit my renewal application--walked out about 10:15 am. My passport was in my hand Friday afternoon at 3:20 pm---a 2 day delivery after printing in Surrey, BC. My passport didn't expire for another 10 months, but I wanted to submit in person so I would not have to mail my passport. I'm not sure when we'll next be up in BC (I live in Washington State.) I did sign for the new passport.