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U.S. State Department Unveils Smarter, Better Designed Travel Site

  • Samantha Shankman, Skift
    • Skift Take
    The State Department has made big improvements in cutting visa wait times and streamlining the application process abroad so it’s good to the government also improving the process for U.S. citizens, especially online.
    — Samantha Shankman, Skift
    View on Skift.com
    The new homepage of Travel.State.Gov.
    The old homepage of Travel.State.Gov.
    The new “Passports” homepage on travel.state.gov.
    The old “Passports” homepage on travel.state.gov.
    The new “Visas” homepage on travel.state.gov.
    The old “Visas” homepage on travel.state.gov.
    The new “Child Abductions” homepage on travel.state.gov.
    The old “Child Abductions” homepage on travel.state.gov.
    The new country specific information page for the United Kingdom on travel.state.gov.
    The old country specific information page for the United Kingdom on travel.state.gov.
    The new country specific information page for Japan on travel.state.gov.
    The old country specific information page for Japan on travel.state.gov.
    The new travel.state.gov lists visa appointments and processing wait time.
    The old travel.state.gov listed a more general visa bulletin.
    The well-organized visa reciprocity page on the new travel.state.gov.
    The old visa reciprocity page on travel.state.gov.

    The U.S. State Department launched a redesign of the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website travel.state.gov today.

    The website includes all travel-related information for Americans and visitors including travel warnings, country-specific stats, tips for travelings and living abroad, and guidelines for all passport and visa issues.

    According to a State Department official, the old site was designed according to the Department of State organizational structure. Although it was comprehensive, it was often difficult to navigate for regular travelers and site’s most frequent visitors.

    “The new site is focused on the end user,” explains the official, “such as U.S. citizens applying for a passport, or visitors looking at our site for visa information.”

    The new site also includes new tools including a passport and visa wizard that helps applicants calculate passport fees and understands visa categories.

    Photo Credit: The new homepage of the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. State Department
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