The State Department plans to open an online passport application on Monday, Nov. 16, for two groups of adults in the United States. One group has held a fully valid U.S. passport but cannot use the standard renewal form. The other is applying for a first passport and can prove U.S. citizenship with a Certificate of Naturalization. The pilot uses Form DS-11, the form most first-time applicants submit in person today.
The department spelled out the rollout in a notice filed for public inspection on Nov. 12. The notice is scheduled for publication on Nov. 16 and lists Nov. 20, 2027, as the pilot’s end date unless the department extends it. The filing describes what will happen when the pilot opens. It gives no date for the later phases.
Who can use the pilot at launch
The initial groups are adults applying from within the United States. If you have held a fully valid passport, check first whether you can use Form DS-82, the standard renewal form. The pilot is meant for former passport holders who cannot use that route. For example, the department’s regular passport guidance directs people whose previous passport was issued more than 15 years ago to the DS-11 process. The pilot’s eligibility questions will determine whether you can complete that process online.
For a first passport, the pilot initially accepts a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as proof of citizenship. The department plans to expand access later to certain people applying with a certified U.S. birth certificate from a participating state, a Certificate of Citizenship or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. It also plans to include eligible applicants overseas in a later phase. Those planned groups have no announced start date.
What to have ready online
The department says to start at America.gov once the pilot opens. The site will ask eligibility questions before it sends applicants to Login.gov to verify their identity. The notice specifies a valid U.S. passport book or card, a driver’s license or a non-driver ID issued by a U.S. state, territory or the District of Columbia. Bring the physical document. The pilot excludes mobile driver’s licenses even though Login.gov accepts some digital IDs for other uses.
The verification step asks for your Social Security number and address and uses a live photo to check your identity. You then return to America.gov, review the information transferred from Login.gov and complete the application. The passport photo you upload for the application is a separate step. The notice says you will record yourself taking the passport oath. A passport agent reviews that recording and the application before a passport officer makes a decision. If the process asks for an affidavit or court order, the department says it will direct you to the paper application.
When to use the existing application routes
The existing online renewal service uses Form DS-82 and has its own requirements. The State Department says applicants must be at least 25, have their previous 10-year passport, and have at least six weeks before travel. The department also offers renewal by mail for applicants who qualify. A first-time applicant outside the pilot can use the usual in-person process, which starts with an acceptance facility such as a participating post office. Follow the facility’s instructions on when to sign the paper form.
If you already have a flight, check the State Department’s urgent travel options before relying on the pilot. Passport agencies and centers handle eligible appointments within 14 calendar days of international travel, or within 28 days when you need a foreign visa. The pilot notice gives no separate processing-time promise. For the standard in-person route, the department’s published fee schedule lists $130 for a first adult passport book plus a $35 acceptance fee. Check the amount shown in the pilot before you submit payment.
