The U.S. Department of State will begin allowing American citizens to apply for their first passport entirely online starting in December, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday during an event introducing the new America.gov website, an AI-powered, centralized portal for federal agency information and services.
Describing the current passport application process as a complex maze that requires locating forms, printing them, scheduling appointments, waiting in line, and often hiring third-party services, Rubio emphasized that the new digital system aims to eliminate these barriers. Through America.gov and login.gov, citizens will be able to use personal devices to take or upload passport photos—previewing how they will look in the finished document—and complete payment directly within the application.
“No printing forms, no drugstore hostage photo, no appointment, no line, no middleman that you’re paying to do something that should be available to you,” Rubio said, noting that the platform will also provide real-time status updates and estimated delivery dates.
Additionally, the State Department announced that starting in 2028, newly issued U.S. passports will feature a redesigned look dubbed “Flight of the Eagle,” developed by the federal government’s National Design Studio. The updated passports will arrive in packaging similar to an Apple iPhone box and will feature pages adorned with historical American artwork, alongside a prominent gold national emblem and a zoetrope effect where an eagle illustration appears to fly when pages are flipped rapidly.
