Passport renewal warning

The U.S. State Department says Americans abroad should not renew passports online, because filing that application cancels the passport they are still carrying. (travel.state.gov) The department’s online renewal page says applicants must be in a United States state or territory when they submit the form, and they must not be traveling for at least six weeks. The same page says the government offers only routine service online. (travel.state.gov) State Department guidance for applications outside the United States says passport service overseas works differently: in most countries, Americans must apply in person at a United States embassy or consulate. In a limited number of countries, some services are available by mail, and Canada has a separate mail-in path using Form DS-82. (travel.state.gov) The risk is immediate. The State Department says, “We will cancel” the passport being renewed after an online application is submitted, and its embassy in Georgia says that passport is “electronically invalidated” and cannot be used for travel. (travel.state.gov) (usembassy.gov) That can strand travelers who are already overseas, because airlines and border officials generally require a valid passport book for international flights and entry. The State Department’s overseas passport page tells Americans to work through the nearest embassy or consulate instead of the domestic online system. (travel.state.gov) The warning also comes with a fraud alert. The State Department says the only authorized online renewal site is opr.travel.state.gov, and it says other companies claiming to renew passports online may be fraudulent, charge extra fees, and put personal data at risk. (travel.state.gov) For Americans outside the country, the official help page says to contact the local United States embassy or consulate if they are applying abroad. That is the channel the department directs travelers to use when a passport renewal has to happen overseas. (travel.state.gov) The practical rule is narrow but clear: online renewal is for routine applications filed from inside the United States, not for Americans already overseas. Once the online application is submitted, the old passport stops being a travel document. (travel.state.gov)