Marco Rubio unveils redesign of American passports arriving in 2028

Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed updated travel books in Washington, D.C. late last month. The updated government documents will become available to international travelers starting in 2028.

Rubio introduced the items during a presentation about a new artificial intelligence website from President Donald Trump. That website will allow citizens to submit applications online next year.

“It’s an expression of the unbreakable bond between the nation and the citizen,” he said. “A bond, by the way, that doesn’t end at the water’s edge, at our borders, but one that Americans carry with them.”

The eagle will serve as a continuous visual feature throughout the entire booklet, Rubio explained. The bird will stay on the front exterior and appear across the inside leaves.

The interior sheets will display art spanning 250 years of national history, according to Rubio. Featured historical events and milestones include:

• The Battle of Lexington
• The westward expansion
• The Wright brothers taking flight
• Marines raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima
• The April splashdown of the Artemis mission

The exterior front will undergo several visible modifications under the plan presented by Rubio. The central national seal will remain on the front but will become larger. The phrase “United States of America” will move to the top of the cover.

“I can see Americans sitting at airports all over the world, like why do people keep flipping through the page?” Rubio said. “Well, it’s a – it’s either this or some Game Boy for your kids to keep them entertained; they can flip the eagle around.”

The State Department earlier introduced a limited-edition “Patriot Passport” for the nation’s semiquincentennial. That earlier version featured the likeness of Trump.

The special items were initially sold only at an agency facility in the District of Columbia. Distribution expanded to two dozen regional offices across the country in July.

The State Department manages international travel credentials for citizens through regional agencies. The federal office oversees document production and verifies applicant identities. Standard processing handles millions of renewal requests each year.

Travelers must wait until 2028 to receive the updated books. Routine processing continues through standard channels across the country.