The positive experience of renewing a US passport online, initially encountered by Sean Hollister through a beta website from the State Department, is now broadly accessible. This service, which does not require shipping the old passport, can be utilized via the State Department’s official passport renewal page.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the expanded availability of this service, emphasizing the process’s efficiency. By eliminating the need for a paper application and check, the online renewal is designed to save time and effort.

The renewal website currently estimates a processing duration of six to eight weeks, excluding mailing times. Consequently, users should not expect to receive their renewed passports as swiftly as Hollister did. Furthermore, certain eligibility criteria must be met to use the online renewal option.

Despite these initial time estimates, Blinken highlighted that the average routine passport is processed in substantially less time than the advertised window. Therefore, applicants might still experience a relatively fast turnaround when renewing their passports through the online platform.

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