Originally Posted by
Polytonic
Has anyone tried the soft-launch of the online passport renewal? Is it any faster than mailing in the paper application?
I have! I signed up in Aug for the Sept openings. I submitted my application on 9/19 and the book arrived on 10/19 exactly. I did pay for expedited service. The passport card arrived about a week later. On a travel TikTok acct, some people were reporting they got their book in 10 days which seems like it's not possible but who knows. Overall it was a very easy process. The longest wait time was going from submitted/received to Reviewing. Basically it eliminated probably 1-2 weeks of USPS and having your application opened by someone. But the real benefit is eliminating the anxiety of your application to actually arrive and not be lost in the mail and knowing when that clock actually starts for processing.
Timeline is this:
mid-Aug - can't remember exact date but it was maybe a day or two after the Aug submission window closed. I started prepping my digital photo at this point so it was ready in time. I used an online service, which was a waste of $$.
9/19 - received email that online applications were now open to those who registered in Aug. Application completed & submitted.
10/12 - received email saying my application was now being reviewed by a DOS employee.
Your Passport Application Number** xxxxxxxxx is now being reviewed by a U.S. Department of State employee.
We are currently processing routine applications in 7-10 weeks and expedited applications in 4-6 weeks from the date you submitted your application. Access your
MyTravelGov account to check your application status. Click on "Manage Application" to upgrade to expedited service and 1-2 day delivery of your completed passport, or change your mailing address.
Please note we are immediately invalidating (canceling) your most recent passport and you cannot use it for international travel while you wait for your new passport.
Sincerely,
U.S. Department of State
10/17 - received email saying:
We shipped your passport! Access your
MyTravelGov account to see tracking information if you applied for a passport book. If you applied for a passport card, it will arrive in a separate mailing from a passport book.
Please note we invalidated your most recent passport and you cannot use it for international travel.
10/19 - Passport book received.
10/25 - Passport card received.
EDIT: I should note that the pilot online renewal process does not allow you to request a large passport book. Only the standard book. It just dawned on me that the new passport book is thinner than my old one by A LOT. The old book was a large + I had extra pages added before they stopped doing that. Anyway, we'll see how long this one lasts. Hopefully the option for a large passport book is added when the program becomes permanent.