This Is Not a Drill: Renewing Your Passport Just Got Easier

Like replacing the filter of your air conditioner or making small talk with a third cousin at a family reunion, renewing your passport is one of those annoying things that finds a way to ruin your day/week/month every few years.

Unless you’re set to travel internationally extremely soon and qualify to have your new passport expedited, the process requires making an appointment at the post office or sending in your old passport through the mail for renewal (which, as you can imagine, can be a bit nerve racking). That is, until now.

For the first time in forever, we have actual good travel news: the U.S. state department is finally letting people renew their passports online. After a successful trial run, the new system is now available to adult passport holders whose passport has expired within the past five years or will expire in the coming year. While you'll still need to pay the $130 renewal fee, at least you can do so from the comfort of your own home, office or wherever else you suddenly remember that you need to renew your passport.