If you need to renew your passport in the United States, you may be interested to know about the changes that have been made by the U.S. Department of State. Since Trump’s arrival in power last January, many changes have been implemented, particularly the tightening of immigration and security laws. For this reason, the government has announced these new measures regarding passport renewal. The new regulations indicate that passports issued more than 15 years ago cannot be renewed through the traditional procedure; instead, those affected will have to start the process from scratch. Passports that have physical damage or deterioration will also not be eligible for automatic renewal, nor will those where the citizen’s name has changed.
In this case, you will need to provide some legal document that verifies the recognition of that name change. To start the process, the citizen will have to fill out the DS-11 form and submit it at the government offices. It is also mandatory to bring a photograph, documentation that verifies the name change, the completed DS-82 form, and finally, make the payment of the fee. If, on the other hand, the citizen is eligible to renew their passport online, they will need to access the government website, usa.gov, and follow the procedure in the ‘Passport Renewal System’ section.
New safety measures
Trump’s arrival to power has certainly not gone unnoticed. To this day, there is not a single sector or area in the United States that has not been affected by some new measure, law, or restriction from the Republican president. Well, yes, the rich; they have only seen benefits. In terms of security, the government has deemed it necessary to reinforce all existing measures, also tightening immigration policy (which was seen as insecure in Trump’s eyes). The measures have even reached the passport renewal process in the country, which from now on presents more restrictive requirements.
What do I do if I need to renew my passport?
From now on, the requirements for renewing the passport have changed, so you should check if you are eligible, and if not, apply the new procedure. The United States government announced that all citizens who do not meet the established requirements will have to start the process from scratch, as if they had never had a passport. Age, status, or job position does not matter. Nothing exempts citizens from carrying out this procedure if they do not meet the eligibility clauses.
New requirements
From now on, when renewing your passport, you will need to take into account the following aspects, as if you meet any of them, you will not be eligible for automatic renewal, and you will have to start the process from scratch:
- The passport cannot be more than 15 years old.
- It cannot have been issued before the citizen turned 16 years old.It cannot be damaged, lost, or stolen.
- If the new passport requires a name change, it must be supported with legal documentation, such as a marriage license.
Steps to follow
Once the eligibility requirements have been clarified, let’s look at the steps we need to follow for the renewal of our passport. If you meet any of the mentioned situations, the citizen will have to proceed as follows: start the process from scratch, complete the DS-11 form, and submit it at the government offices. On the other hand, if the passport holder is not in any of the previously mentioned situations, they could do it electronically: by email or postal mail. They will just need to access the official government website, usa.gov, and go to the ‘Passport Renewal System’ section. Once there, they just have to follow the steps.
Now you just need to submit the DS-82 form, a photograph of the required size, and pay the corresponding fee, without forgetting to attach documentation that proves the name change if necessary. Remember that this procedure has a waiting time of 3 months, so it is recommended to carry out the renewal in advance.