Renewing your expired or soon-to-expire U.S. passport just got a lot easier.

The State Department has reopened its online renewal portal, unveiling a beta program designed to speed up processing for travelers who meet certain criteria in efforts to avoid issues faced last summer.

Keep in mind this isn’t a full launch, so officials will take only a select number of applicants each day. Travelers can still renew by mail.

To be eligible to renew online, however, travelers must be U.S. citizens and residents who are age 25 and older and who have already had a passport with 10-year validity. Other notable requirements include not requesting a change to their name, gender, date of birth or place of birth.

This assumes your passport was issued within the past nine to 15 years.

Travelers must also not be planning to travel internationally for at least eight weeks from the day they submit their application.

They must also be able to pay with a credit card, debit card or an ACH (automated clearing house) payment and be able to upload their digital passport photo in a JPEG file.

Additionally, their current passport can’t be lost, stolen or damaged.

There’s no timetable for when the beta rollout could become a permanent option with expanded processing capabilities.

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Laurence Walker, a volunteer with the Cajun Navy Relief, left, takes two volunteers out on his boat on Lake Oconee to search for Gary Jones, Tuesday, February, 18, 2024, in Eatonton, Ga. The Putnam County sheriff is investigating and searching after Spelman College instructor Joycelyn Nicole Wilson and an Atlanta private school coach Gary Jones went missing on Lake Oconee over a week ago, Saturday Feb. 8th. The body of Wilson was found Sunday, Feb. 9th and Jones has not been found. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com