Until now, the only passport application you could file online was a renewal on Form DS-82. First-time applicants had to fill out a DS-11 and appear in person at an acceptance facility. A pilot announced in State Department Public Notice 13173 (Federal Register document 2026-23317) begins to change that, for a limited group of people at first. The pilot runs from November 16, 2026, to November 20, 2027, unless extended, and the department is rolling it out in phases.
Who can apply online starting November 16
In the first phase, the pilot is open to people who meet all of the following conditions:
- They are 18 or older and located in the United States.
- They have an ID that Login.gov accepts: a valid U.S. passport book or card, or a valid driver’s license or non-driver ID card issued by a U.S. state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory. Mobile driver’s licenses do not count.
- They fall into one of two groups: first-time applicants using a USCIS Certificate of Naturalization as proof of citizenship, or people who were previously issued a fully valid U.S. passport but are not eligible to renew it on Form DS-82.
The first group matters for many Polish Americans, since it covers people who became U.S. citizens through naturalization and have never held an American passport. The State Department says it expects to expand the pilot later to adults using a certified U.S. birth certificate from participating states, a USCIS Certificate of Citizenship or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), as well as to eligible applicants overseas. It has not given dates for those phases.
The pilot is not for everyone. Applicants who need to submit, or wish to submit, an affidavit or a court order will be sent to the regular paper process. The department also notes that technical limitations may keep some otherwise eligible applicants from using the online application.
How the America.gov application works
- On America.gov, you answer eligibility questions, such as whether you are applying for your own passport, whether you are a U.S. citizen and whether you have urgent travel plans.
- Eligible applicants sign in to Login.gov or create an account there. Login.gov checks your ID, runs a liveness check using a live photo of your face, and asks for your Social Security number and address.
- Back on America.gov, you review the information passed on from Login.gov (name, sex, date of birth), correct it if needed, and complete the rest of the DS-11, including your USCIS or alien registration number if you have one, an emergency contact and your occupation.
- Finally, you upload a passport photo, choose the type of passport and delivery option, and take the oath by recording yourself reciting it. A passport agent reviews the recording along with the application.
Applications are decided under the same procedures as paper DS-11 applications, and citizenship is checked against government records, including USCIS data. Approved passports are mailed to the address given in the application. The $35 execution fee still applies even though you do not appear in person. Applicants who are exempt from passport fees are also exempt from the execution fee.
Why it matters
The State Department says it processed 13,913,231 DS-11 applications in fiscal year 2025, and that completing one takes an average of 85 minutes. The pilot is meant to measure how much time and money an online version saves. Public comments can be submitted on Regulations.gov under Docket No. DOS-2026-1222. The department says it will not respond to individual comments but will use them to evaluate the pilot.
For the road from green card to citizenship and the naturalization certificate, see our guide “From Green Card to U.S. Citizenship”.
Key points
- On November 16, 2026, the State Department starts piloting an online DS-11 passport application at America.gov.
- First in line: adults in the U.S. applying for a first passport with a USCIS Certificate of Naturalization, and people who cannot renew on Form DS-82.
- You need an ID accepted by Login.gov (not a mobile driver’s license), a Social Security number and a passport photo.
- The oath is taken by video recording, and the $35 execution fee still applies.
- The pilot runs until November 20, 2027, unless extended.
Source: U.S. Department of State, “Pilot for Online Version of Application for a U.S. Passport (Form DS-11),” Federal Register, November 16, 2026. Official sites: America.gov and Login.gov.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice.
If your citizenship or document situation is more complicated, consider talking to one of the Polish-speaking lawyers in the Polish Pages directory.
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