After a two-year period of beta testing, digital passport renewal is now a full reality for American travelers. Here's how it works and how long it takes.
The U.S. State Department has announced that passport renewal via its website is officially open as of Wednesday, September 18,…
Grace Cary | Moment | Getty Images Travelers, be warned: The federal government may revoke your passport if you ignore a big tax bill. Such punishments have become more frequent in recent years, experts said. Federal law requires the IRS and Treasury Department to notify the State Department if an American has a "seriously delinquent…
The European Union's executive arm, the European Commission, has officially announced the start date of its upcoming Entry/Exit System (EES), which will change the way international passports are processed for visitors to the EU's member states. The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, confirmed in a speech that the EU intends to implement the…
Last updated April 6, 2022 Jump to: First-Time Applications Jump to: Renewals Jump to: Passport Cards Jump to: Fees Jump to: Passport Agencies Jump to: Passport & Visa ExpeditorsAll U.S. citizens, including children, are required to obtain passports in their own names for identification while traveling abroad and for re-entry into the United States. Passports also satisfy the requirements for Real…
If you’re among the 52% of Americans without a passport, you might think that taking a cruise is out of the question for you. But that’s not true—and we’re not only referring to sailings within U.S. waters (though, of course, passengers without passports can absolutely board cruises on U.S. rivers and coastlines as well as…
Although the event didn't get a lot of attention at the time, in December 2021 President Joe Biden signed a new executive order that will allow Americans to renew their passports online in a matter of days (see Sec. 4 of the official text). That development is a big deal for regular travelers because until…
All right, Americans. Ready? This is online passport renewal, take two. The U.S. State Department today announced that it is once again accepting applications for online passport renewal. The U.S. government already tried this a few years ago—we even tested it out and found it was incredibly speedy—but for reasons that were, understandably, not disclosed…
Asked to name the most ghoulish places in the United States, you might come up with Salem, Massachusetts, for its witchy goings-on, New Orleans for the aboveground cemeteries, and Washington, D.C., for the House of Representatives (shudder). But what about Nevada? The state arguably has one of the country's most formidable paranormal pedigrees, what with…
A year ago, as the U.S. government continued to climb out of the bureaucratic hole that Covid-19 and staffing woes had dug, the wait time for a new passport was as long as 13 weeks. During some periods in late 2022 and early 2023, the State Department received some 500,000 applications a week, the highest…
Many passport rankings focus on one factor: visa-free travel. But passport strength is more complex than this, according to the tax and immigration consulting firm Nomad Capitalist. That's why it produces a weighted annual index that analyzes five criteria: Visa-free travel — 50% Taxation — 20% Global perception —10% Ability to hold dual citizenship —…