What do you need to renew a passport?
Short answer: 20 items, from copy of new passport emailed to yourself once received through to visa requirements for destination checked against new passport number. The complete Passport Renewal checklist is written out below — and the exact same 20 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Passport Renewal checklist — all 20 items
- Copy of new passport emailed to yourself once received
- Courier or collection option chosen for the new passport
- Current passport checked for expiry date well ahead of travel
- Emergency contact details updated on the application
- Frequent flyer and travel accounts updated with new passport number
- Name change documents ready if applicable
- New passport photo taken to exact specifications
- Old passport details on hand for reference
- Old passport kept safe, not binned, until the new one arrives
- Old passport's visa pages checked before it's cancelled, for records
- Passport office appointment booked if in-person needed
- Passport photo digital copy saved for other travel documents
- Payment method ready for the application fee
- Proof of citizenship or birth certificate on hand if required
- RealMe login set up for the online application
- Six-month validity rule checked for the destination country
- Travel dates checked against processing time, not just expiry
- Travel insurance updated with correct passport details
- Urgency option checked if travel is close
- Visa requirements for destination checked against new passport number
Passport renewals live in the future tense — 'I'll do it before the trip' — right up until an airline booking form asks for a passport number and the document in the drawer expired in autumn. Standard processing takes weeks; urgent processing takes money; neither negotiates.
This checklist runs the renewal cleanly: the photo that meets the picky requirements, the old passport details, the RealMe login sorted for the online application, payment, and the calendar check of processing time against any booked or dreamed-of travel — plus the six-month-validity rule some destinations quietly enforce.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "compliant passport photo" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What do you need to renew a passport?
You need 20 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from copy of new passport emailed to yourself once received through to visa requirements for destination checked against new passport number — and the same 20 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=passport%20renewal opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Passport Renewal list (20 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.