WASHINGTON â A redesigned U.S. passport is coming in 2028, and the change goes far beyond a new cover. Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled the âFlight of the Eagleâ design on September 29 as the State Department also announced plans to move first-time passport applications online beginning later this year.
Starting next year, most Americans will apply for their passport entirely online. A revolution in how government works for the American people. The Trump Administration is making government simpler, faster, and more accessible. pic.twitter.com/dTrv2GzZTk
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 30, 2026
The new passport keeps the familiar blue cover but gives the American eagle a larger gold treatment. Inside, the pages trace major moments in U.S. history, while a small eagle changes position from page to page so it appears to fly when the booklet is flipped.
new U.S. passport looks like
The âFlight of the Eagleâ passport was developed with the federal National Design Studio and is intended to tell a visual story across roughly 250 years of American history.
Artwork highlighted during the unveiling includes scenes tied to Lexington, westward expansion, the transcontinental railroad, the Wright brothers, Iwo Jima and the Artemis space program.
The cover itself is also more striking. âUnited States of Americaâ appears above a larger Great Seal, with the eagle rendered prominently in gold against the traditional dark-blue background.
One of the most distinctive features is inside the booklet. An eagle illustration moves across successive pages, creating a flipbook-style animation when the pages are turned quickly.
The passport will also arrive in new packaging
The redesign does not stop with the booklet.
Rubio also showed a new presentation package that is expected to replace the ordinary envelope used to deliver passports today. Reporting from the event compared the box-like presentation with premium consumer-electronics packaging.
The State Department has not disclosed every security feature built into the new passport, which is expected for a high-security identity document.
For travelers interested in the global strength of the document itself, Swikblogâs 2026 passport power rankings provides additional context on where the U.S. passport stands internationally.
First-time passport applications are moving online
The biggest practical change for travelers could arrive before the new passport design does.
Rubio said Americans are expected to begin applying for their first passport entirely online in December 2026 through the new America.gov platform. The planned system is designed to let eligible users enter their information, upload or take a passport photo, pay electronically and follow the applicationâs progress from a personal device.
That would be a significant departure from the current process. As of now, the State Department says first-time adult applicants must apply in person at an authorized passport acceptance facility.
Online renewals are already available to some eligible adults, but extending a fully digital process to first-time applications would remove the in-person step for many Americans.
U.S. Visa Revocation 2026: Trump Administration Revokes 175,000 Visas
America.gov is central to the overhaul
The passport announcement came alongside the launch of America.gov, a federal portal intended to bring government information and services into one digital gateway.
The passport service is expected to let applicants see whether an application has been submitted, is being processed or is complete, along with an estimated delivery date.
The rollout is expected to happen in stages, so travelers should not assume every passport case will immediately become fully online. Minors, lost or damaged passports and unusual citizenship cases may continue to require additional verification or in-person steps.
Will current passports stop working in 2028?
No blanket cancellation of existing U.S. passports has been announced.
The 2028 date refers to when the new design is expected to begin entering circulation. Americans with a valid current passport should continue using it until it expires unless the State Department gives different instructions for their specific case.
That is important because the redesign is not a mandatory replacement program. Travelers do not need to renew early simply to obtain the new âFlight of the Eagleâ booklet.
The 2028 passport is different from the 2026 anniversary edition
The newly unveiled design is also separate from the special passport associated with Americaâs 250th anniversary in 2026.
The âFlight of the Eagleâ version is intended as the next broader passport design beginning in 2028, while the anniversary edition is tied specifically to the semiquincentennial celebration.
The timeline therefore has two major phases: online passport services begin expanding in late 2026, while the redesigned physical passport follows in 2028.
Travelers should also remember that passport changes are separate from domestic airport identification rules. Swikblogâs guide to the TSA identity-check process without REAL ID explains how a valid passport can also serve as accepted identification at airport security checkpoints.
For now, the biggest takeaway is that Americans do not need to wait for the new design to apply. The immediate change is the move toward a more digital passport system, while the gold-eagle redesign is the visible part travelers will begin seeing in 2028.
Make Swikblog your go-to source on Google for reliable updates, smart insights, and daily trends.
