You can renew your passport online this week if you act fast

Americans have the rare opportunity to renew their passports online this week, as the government rolls out a pilot program for a select number of applicants.

The program, which is a test for the hopeful full public roll-out in 2023, is available for the first 25 thousand eligible applicants, who won’t need to send in any physical documents or past passports.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must be over 25 and have a passport that is expiring within the next twelve months. Anyone missing out on the 25 thousand slots available may have the chance to try again in the coming months. Otherwise, the traditional method will need to be used if a passport is needed sooner than 2023.

According to the advice, the processing time is still around the same as the traditional method, which is between eight and eleven weeks, so those hoping to travel in the next five weeks should not attempt to renew.