Online Passport Renewal

It’s been on my list of things to do. The last time I renewed my passport was almost ten years ago. I was working at the Library of Congress and walked my papers over to the House Office Buildings. It was easy. I had heard you can now renew your passport on line if you meet certain qualifications. So I went to the website and I met the criteria. The worst part of it all was getting the digital photo just right. I think my husband took about twenty photos but the lighting in the house cast a bit of shadow. Out of exasperation I finally just picked the last one and gave up trying. Once I started the process it didn’t take too long but I wanted to make sure all of the information was accurate so I double checked everything. After entering in the first bit it was verified that I could proceed. The photo uploaded without a problem and they said they would contact you if something was amiss. Afterwards you can sign up for a status update - which won’t start until the payment has been authorized. It’s supposed to take six to eight weeks and the current passport is not valid any longer once this process started. We have no plans to go anywhere and I’m not sure we ever will at this stage. But it’s good to have the passport up to date - just in case.