Ready to renew your US passport? You can now apply online

WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s an easier way to renew your passport: online.

The State Department has opened a trial allowing a limited number of people to request their updated travel documents with just a few clicks. You can’t start at any time: windows will open each day at noon Eastern Time, then close once the system has reached its daily limit.

The ministry says it’s going slowly so it can monitor how the system is working. There are also a series of conditions to be met in order to apply online, including:

— You are 25 years or older.

— You are renewing a passport issued between 2009 and 2015.

— You do not modify any personal information.

— You will not travel abroad for at least eight weeks after applying.

There are many other criteria on the State Department’s travel website, where you must create an account to renew online. Expedited service must always be done by mail.

It comes after travelers faced huge wait times to renew their documents, amid a backlog blamed on lingering effects of the pandemic, such as staff shortages and a pause in online processing l last year, which flooded the agency with requests.

The current processing time for a routine passport renewal is six to eight weeks.