The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, has communicated that, starting in 2027, U.S. citizens will be able to fully manage the application for their first passport online. This novelty is part of the digital transformation plan driven along with the government platform America.gov, aimed at minimizing in-person procedures and the use of paper documentation.
"Starting next year, most Americans will apply for their passport completely online. A revolution in the way the Government works for the American people. The Trump Administration is making Government simpler, faster, and more accessible," the Secretary expressed in a social media post.
Rubio announced the project during an America.gov event held in Washington, where he emphasized that the main purpose is to modernize and accelerate the provision of public services related to travel documentation.
The head of U.S. diplomacy pointed out that the procedure for obtaining a passport has remained practically unchanged for decades, while "the document (itself) has continued to evolve," and he criticized the rise of private companies that charge for managing forms or appointments that are, in reality, available at no cost through the official channels of the Government.
"Nowadays, there is a whole parallel industry dedicated to profiting from every stage of the passport application process. Some websites charge for free forms and others for free appointments," the Secretary stated, before denouncing that some of these entities, "in addition to charging you, also take your most sensitive personal information."
With the new system, the processing will begin through the U.S. Executive's single authentication service (login.gov), so that the data already held by the Administration will be automatically incorporated into the application. Additionally, the photograph can be taken with a mobile phone and uploaded directly from the device, allowing the applicant to preview how it will look in the passport and repeat it as many times as they consider before submitting the request.
The payment of the fees will also be made digitally and, as shown in the demonstration during the presentation, the personal information and the address linked to the account will already be filled in on the form. "No printed forms, no prior appointment, no queues, no intermediaries," summarized Rubio.
According to the forecasts of the State Department, by the end of 2027 the majority of citizens of the United States will be able to apply for both the traditional passport and the passport card — an identification document with the passport data but the size of a bank card — through this online procedure, "regardless of whether they reside in large cities or in rural areas."