{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "slug": "passport-renewal-abroad",
  "title": "Online passport renewal abroad tracker",
  "scope": "Current official online passport renewal location requirement, the August 28, 2026 overseas expansion proposal, its comment deadline, and a subsequent-final-rule search. No foreign-country rollout eligibility is inferred.",
  "question": "Can an American abroad renew a passport online?",
  "intro": "The current State Department page requires applicants to be in a US state or territory when submitting online. The proposed overseas expansion does not itself authorize an overseas application or establish a launch date.",
  "description": "Online US passport renewal requires being in a US state or territory. The proposed expansion abroad does not authorize applications or set a launch date.",
  "lastVerified": "2026-10-24",
  "nextReview": "2026-11-23",
  "updatePolicy": "Recheck official sources every 30 days and after a reported change.",
  "complete": true,
  "columns": [
    {
      "key": "topic",
      "label": "Question"
    },
    {
      "key": "value",
      "label": "Verified position"
    },
    {
      "key": "citation",
      "label": "Authority and limits"
    }
  ],
  "evidencePolicy": "Each value comes from the official source linked on its row. Sources checked on the date shown. Not published means the official page we read did not publish that detail.",
  "rows": [
    {
      "id": "proposal",
      "topic": "Rule stage",
      "value": "Proposed rule. No effective date in this document.",
      "citation": "91 FR 55505; document 2026-17655; 22 CFR 51.21",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/28/2026-17655/passports-expanding-online-passport-renewal-overseas",
      "sourceDate": "2026-08-28",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-24",
      "method": "official"
    },
    {
      "id": "eligibility",
      "topic": "Proposed overseas eligibility",
      "value": "Would allow qualified applicants in countries specifically authorized by State. Phased rollout is proposed.",
      "citation": "Proposed 22 CFR 51.21(b)(2)",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/28/2026-17655/passports-expanding-online-passport-renewal-overseas",
      "sourceDate": "2026-08-28",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-24",
      "method": "official"
    },
    {
      "id": "country-list",
      "topic": "Current overseas submission availability",
      "value": "The current official page requires applicants to be in a US state or territory when submitting online. It publishes no foreign-country rollout list.",
      "citation": "Current State Department online renewal requirements. Do not infer overseas availability from the proposed expansion.",
      "sourceUrl": "https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/renew-replace/online.html",
      "sourceDate": "2026-09-30",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-24",
      "method": "official"
    },
    {
      "id": "comments",
      "topic": "Federal Register comment deadline",
      "value": "October 27, 2026",
      "citation": "Published notice DATES and the current Federal Register document API agree. Regulations.gov shows October 27, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT.",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/28/2026-17655/passports-expanding-online-passport-renewal-overseas",
      "sourceDate": "2026-08-28",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-24",
      "method": "official"
    },
    {
      "id": "final-rule",
      "topic": "Subsequent final rule search",
      "value": "No subsequent final rule found in the October 24, 2026 checks. The RIN search returns only the August 28 proposal. Nine State Department final rules since that date include no online passport renewal expansion.",
      "citation": "Federal Register RIN 1400-AF97 search and all State Department final-rule records dated August 28, 2026 onward. This is a bounded search observation, not a forecast.",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents.json?conditions%5Bregulation_id_number%5D=1400-AF97",
      "sourceDate": "undated",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-24",
      "method": "official"
    }
  ],
  "changelog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-24",
      "summary": "First source-backed release. Missing checks remain explicit. No prior observations are claimed."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-24",
      "summary": "Read the State Department page updated September 30, 2026 and confirmed its US-location requirement. Rechecked the proposal and final-rule searches. Earlier release noted October 28 in metadata; current published notice, Federal Register API, and Regulations.gov display October 27, 2026, with Regulations.gov specifying 11:59 PM EDT. The earlier metadata observation is preserved as history, not a current procedural discrepancy."
    }
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"
}