Getting a first U.S. passport is about to involve a lot less paper.
Beginning next year, Americans will be able to apply for their first passport entirely online, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday, September 29. The State Department is also preparing a redesigned U.S. passport that will begin arriving in 2028.
Both are part of a broader overhaul of the passport process built around the government’s new America.gov website.
First-Time Passport Applications Are Going Online
The biggest change comes first.
Starting next year, first-time applicants will be able to complete the passport application process online through America.gov. That means no printing an application, scheduling an appointment, or visiting an acceptance facility just to submit it.
After signing in through Login.gov, applicants will be able to use information the government already has on file, take a passport photo with a phone or upload one from another device, preview how the photo will look in the finished passport, and pay online.
The new system will also show the status of an application and provide an estimated delivery date.
Online passport service itself isn’t entirely new. Eligible Americans can already renew passports online. What’s changing is the ability to get a first passport without going through the traditional in-person application process.
And the State Department plans to go further. Rubio said the goal is for the “vast majority” of Americans to be able to apply for a passport or passport card through America.gov by the end of 2027.
U.S. Passports Are Getting a New Look in 2028
The passport itself is changing, too.
In 2028, the State Department plans to introduce a redesigned U.S. passport built around the American eagle. The familiar blue cover remains, but “United States of America” moves to the top and the Great Seal becomes larger and more prominent.
The changes continue inside. Pages will depict different periods of American history, including Lexington, westward expansion, early aviation, Iwo Jima, and space exploration.
There’s also a considerably less serious detail: flip through the pages quickly and an eagle appears to fly.
Rubio joked that people will soon be sitting in airports repeatedly flipping through their passports.
The packaging is getting an upgrade as well. Instead of arriving in the envelope used today, the redesigned passport will come in new presentation packaging.
The new passport is still a couple of years away. The application overhaul comes sooner, and should remove several of the more cumbersome parts of getting a first passport starting next year.
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