Your First Passport Is Going Online: What the State Department Announced

Getting a first passport has been one of the last stubbornly paper processes in federal life: print the form, get a photo taken, find an acceptance facility, wait in line, then wait some more. On September 29, 2026, at the launch of America.gov (see our overview, What Is America.gov?), Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department intends to move the entire first-time application online — and, separately, to redesign the passport book itself. Here is what was actually announced, what is confirmed in writing, and what is still a goal rather than a feature.

The part that changes first: applying online

Today, an adult applying for a first passport must apply in person at an authorized acceptance facility — a post office, courthouse or library — with a printed paper application (Form DS-11) and a physical photo. Adults who are renewing can typically already renew online through the State Department’s Online Passport Renewal platform.

What Rubio announced changes the first-time case:

• Fully online first-time applications, starting in 2027. The stated goal is that by the end of 2027, “the vast majority of Americans” will be able to apply for a passport or a passport card on America.gov.
• Sign-in through Login.gov. In the demonstration, information the government already holds filled itself in, rather than the applicant retyping name and address.
• The photo comes from your own device. You would take or upload a picture at home, preview how it looks in the document, and retake it until it meets the requirements. No photo counter, no white screen.
• Payment and tracking move online too. The demo showed paying inside the platform and then following the application’s status in real time, with an estimated delivery date.

Two limits are worth stating plainly. First, this is a goal with a date, not a live feature — as of early October 2026, first-time applicants still apply in person, and the roll-out schedule depends on execution that has not happened yet. Second, children under 16 will still need to apply in person. The State Department says applications for minors require additional safeguards; that rule is not changing as part of this announcement.

The part coming later: a redesigned passport book in 2028

Rubio also showed what he called the 2028 U.S. passport, developed with the National Design Studio:

• The cover keeps its blue, but “United States of America” moves to the top and the Great Seal becomes larger and more prominent.
• Inside, illustrated pages trace scenes of American history, and flipping the pages quickly creates an animation of an eagle in flight.
• Passports would arrive in upgraded packaging rather than the current envelope.

The redesign was also foreshadowed in writing months earlier: a Federal Register notice published April 20, 2026 says the next redesign, anticipated to roll out in 2028, moves U.S. passport books to a single 38-page size, replacing today’s 26-page and 50-page options. The Emergency Passport stays at 12 pages. The State Department’s own numbers: about 92 percent of applicants request the 26-page book, so most people get more visa pages than before — but frequent travelers, U.S. citizens living abroad, and special-issuance holders who use the 50-page book will need to renew more often once it disappears. The department pairs that with a planned upgrade to online renewal for overseas applicants.

If you already hold a passport, nothing changes: documents issued with older designs remain valid until their printed expiration date.

What this does not change

• Eligibility and evidence requirements are untouched. Who qualifies for a passport, what documents prove citizenship, and how minors’ applications work are set by statute and regulation, not by the website.
• Fees are unchanged by the announcement. Fee amounts are set by the State Department and published at travel.state.gov; the announcement is about the channel, not the price. (The Federal Register notice does not change fees either.)
• This is a uniform federal process. Unlike most of what we cover on this site, passports do not vary by state — the same rules apply nationwide, because citizenship documents are federal law.

The scam angle: an industry built on the old friction

Rubio was explicit that part of the motivation is the ecosystem of paid middlemen — services that charge for forms and appointments that are free, and collect personal information along the way. That ecosystem will not vanish on announcement day; if anything, expect it to market harder while the transition creates confusion.

The durable rules: official passport forms and instructions are free at travel.state.gov; the only official place to renew a passport online is the State Department’s own platform there; nobody legitimate needs your payment to “release” or “expedite” an application you have not filed; and no government email or text asks for your Login.gov password. Our network’s scam checklist, Is That Really America.gov?, covers the verification steps in detail.

What to do right now

If you need a passport, do not wait for the online option — apply today through the current process: confirm the requirements at travel.state.gov, book an appointment at an acceptance facility, and file. If your travel is more than occasional and you prefer the larger book, renewing before the 50-page option disappears in 2028 is worth considering. And if you are a frequent traveler living overseas, watch for the promised upgrade to online renewal for overseas applicants — that is the piece most likely to save you real time.

More background on the portal this all runs through is in our overview of America.gov, and related guides are collected at the network’s resources page (omc.center/resources).