Details Emerge As US Proposes New Passport Rule That Will Affect 2 Categories

• The US Department of State proposed a rule to expand its Online Passport Renewal platform to qualified Americans living abroad
• The proposal also targets applicants whose current passports have more than one year of remaining validity, a group previously locked out of online renewal
• The Department published the proposed rule in the Federal Register on 28 August 2026 and opened a 60-day public comment period

The US Department of State proposed a new rule that would significantly widen access to its Online Passport Renewal (OPR) platform, extending the service to two categories of Americans who were previously unable to use it.

The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register under Public Notice 13104, targets two specific groups: US citizens residing in foreign countries, and passport holders whose most recently issued passport carries more than one year of remaining validity.

Under the existing rules introduced in 2022, the OPR platform was restricted to applicants physically located in the United States whose passports had one year or less of validity left.

What the Proposed Rule Would Change

If finalised, the rule would allow eligible Americans abroad to submit their passport renewal applications, pay fees, and upload photos entirely online, eliminating the previous requirement for two in-person visits to a consular post.

The Department noted that securing consular appointments has frequently proved difficult for citizens living outside the United States, and that removing this barrier would speed up processing times by cutting out the need to physically transfer paper applications to a domestic passport agency.

The OPR system is planned to roll out overseas in phases.

Requirements around the remaining validity period on a previous passport will also be updated on that page as the Department gradually relaxes them.

Expected Savings and Security Assurances

The Department projected that the expansion could add up to 220,000 overseas applicants to the OPR platform in the 2027 financial year alone, bringing the estimated total of annual online renewal applicants to 6,279,511.

The total estimated annual cost savings across all OPR users for FY27 is calculated at $148,685,935, factoring in savings on passport photos, postage, travel costs, and lost wages for overseas applicants.

Responding to privacy concerns raised during the original 2022 rulemaking, the Department confirmed that all passport applications, whether submitted online or by post, are processed on controlled workstations accessible only to authorised employees.

US announces 1 green card route

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that US government's EB-1 visa category covers three types of applicants, but only one allows individuals to file their own petition without employer involvement.

Applicants under the Extraordinary Ability category must satisfy at least 3 of 10 set criteria, or present evidence of a major internationally recognised achievement.