Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a redesigned U.S. passport on Sept. 29, 2026. He called it the 2028 U.S. passport, with the nation's name and seal placed front and center.
The changes begin on the cover. The Great Seal is larger, more prominent and, in Rubio's words, “more gold.” “United States of America” now appears at the top. Rubio also said an eagle seems to fly as holders flip through the pages.
The Unveiling
Rubio held up the new design to applause. “There it is. It looks even better in person,” he said. Then he made his pitch: “This is the 2028 U.S. passport. The words United States of America are now exactly where they belong: first, right on top. And the great seal is larger, it's more prominent. It's more gold. Watch the eagle as you flip through the pages. It flies. Now, I think that's pretty good.”
His phrasing was plain. Rubio didn't couch it in bureaucratic language; he described a document that puts the country's name first and its national emblem in a more visible spot. Alisa Shodiyev Kaff recorded the video of the unveiling.
What Changes, and What Isn't Said
Rubio offered visual and symbolic details: a bigger seal, a more golden tone, a repositioned national name and an eagle that seems to move across the pages. Those are the specifics on the record.
The unveiling account doesn't say what the redesign will cost, who will produce it or how the rollout will work. It also doesn't say whether the changes affect passport fees or processing. Taxpayers tend to ask those questions whenever a federal agency rebrands a document millions of Americans carry. The 2028 label points to a timeline measured in years, not weeks, so those answers could come later.
Still, the emphasis is clear. Rubio described the cover in terms of where things “belong.” The country's name comes first. The seal, the federal government's formal emblem, gets more space and more shine.
The Symbolism
Passports are among the few government documents nearly every traveling American holds. They're personal and practical, but they also state a national identity when presented abroad. Rubio leaned into that second role. He didn't discuss technology or security features. He talked about the eagle, the seal and the country's name.
The audience in the room applauded the unveiling, suggesting they liked what they saw. Whether the broader public agrees will depend on how the design looks in hand and whether the State Department, which Rubio leads, provides the practical details that haven't yet surfaced.
Why This Matters:
A passport is a federal product with a national audience, so any redesign carries symbolic and practical weight. The symbolism is on display: the country's name first, a larger seal, a national emblem that seems to fly. The open fiscal and institutional questions are cost, production and timing; the unveiling account supplies none of those details. Voters who favor careful stewardship of public money will want those figures made public before the 2028 launch. Until then, what's confirmed is a design and a date. The accounting is still missing, and that's where scrutiny will likely focus.