Rubio: Americans will be able to apply for a first passport fully online through America.gov starting next year

What Rubio Announced

Rubio spoke Tuesday at President Trump’s America.gov event at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington. The State Department posted his remarks as a transcript and in video clips on X.

“Starting next year, Americans will be able to apply for their first passport entirely online,” he said. By the end of 2027, he said, “our goal is for the vast majority of Americans to be able to apply for a passport or a passport card on America.gov.”

He set up the change with the passport’s history. “From the wax seal to the electronic chip, the American passport has become the most trusted and powerful – and I would argue most important – identity document in the entire world,” he said, according to the transcript. “But the document kept evolving. Unfortunately, the process of getting one did not continue to evolve.”

What the Demo Showed

Sign-in

In the demo, Rubio asked, “How do I apply for my first passport?” He said that once signed in with Login.gov, “I can securely see the information that the government already has about me in its system.”

The photo

Rubio said applicants can take a new photo “on the phone in the comfort of your own home, or you can upload one directly from your own device,” see it in the context of the finished passport, and retake it “until it’s the perfect shot.”

Payment

The demo ended with an online checkout. Rubio said his name and address were already filled in because he was logged in through Login.gov.

Tracking

Rubio said applicants will get real-time status and “an estimated delivery date.”

No appointment

“No printing forms, no drugstore hostage photo – (laughter) – no appointment, no line, no middleman,” he said. “You tell America.gov what you’re trying to do, and it walks you through every single step and tells you exactly what comes next.”

Rubio also unveiled what he called “the 2028 U.S. passport,” redesigned with the White House’s National Design Studio, and said passports will arrive in new packaging.

What Is Live Today, and What Is Not

America.gov is live. When we checked it Tuesday, most recently at 2:57 p.m. CT, the home page read “Hello, America” and invited visitors to “Describe what you need.” It had no sign-in, and its FAQ says no account is needed and that the site “cannot access agency records or see applications you have submitted.”

Under the heading “More coming in 2027,” the home page says, “Going beyond answers, you’ll be able to complete forms, track progress, and organize everything in one place.” Its previews include “Apply for a passport and track its progress” and “Sign in to access services.” A separate America.gov page is headed “Coming early 2027” and describes a passport application with the line, “For the first time ever, apply for your first passport online.”

Today, the rules have not changed. USAGov, the government’s information site, says a first adult passport requires applying in person at a passport acceptance facility: “It cannot be done online or by mail.”

Online renewal already exists, separately. The State Department’s travel.state.gov says eligible citizens can renew online at opr.travel.state.gov if, among other rules, they are 25 or older, are in a U.S. state or territory and are renewing a 10-year passport that expires within a year or expired less than five years ago. A proposed rule published Aug. 28 would open online renewal to eligible Americans abroad.

The Timing Is Not Fully Clear

Officials gave different timelines. The White House fact sheet says, “Later this year, Americans will be able to complete tasks like passport renewal and Medicare enrollment on America.gov.” America.gov says “early 2027.” Rubio said first-passport applications start “next year,” and also said the State Department is “not waiting until 2027” to deliver “a passport application experience you can complete entirely from home.” Nextgov/FCW reported that a slide in Rubio’s presentation said the service will launch in December 2026. The State Department has not published a firm date that we found.

The Executive Order

President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing federal agencies to integrate with America.gov. The White House fact sheet calls the site “a single digital point of entry” for federal information and services and says it uses “Super Intelligence (SI).” The order names Login.gov as America.gov’s sign-in service and says the site should be “a better option” that “does not become the only option,” keeping in-person, phone and mail services. CNN reported that Trump told the launch audience, “You’ll now have one front door for every single question.”

Our Prediction, Checked

On Monday, from America.gov’s code, we predicted a new federal website would launch at 9 a.m. CT Tuesday, “likely with interactive maps and video, and possibly a voice feature.” The main call was right: a new federal website launched Tuesday morning, though we did not check the exact minute it went live. The feature guesses held up only in part. Maps appear only in the site’s previews of 2027 features, and we did not confirm video or voice features. We did not predict the passport news.

Monday: Our read of America.gov's code

The State Department's Post

• @StateDept on X, 10:30 a.m. CT Tuesday. “SECRETARY RUBIO on AMERICA.GOV PASSPORTS: 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.” The post includes a 1:42 video of the demo. (@StateDept on X)
• Earlier clip, 10:27 a.m. CT. “SECRETARY RUBIO on AMERICA.GOV: Starting next year, Americans will be able to apply for their first passport entirely online.” (@StateDept on X)

Credits

Lead image: U.S. Department of State video (still frame), posted on X Sept. 29, 2026. Quotes from Secretary Rubio are from the State Department’s transcript and its videos on X.