Do You Need to Keep Old Passports? Here’s Why

You are not legally required to keep old passports, but in almost every case you should. A still-valid visa inside an expired book, a smoother renewal, and a documented travel history are all reasons to hold onto it rather than throw it out. The State Department returns your old passport after a renewal with a hole punch through it, and that canceled book is more useful than most people realize.¹

Check for Valid Visas Before You Do Anything Else

This is the reason that catches people out. Visas don’t expire when the passport they’re stamped in expires. A ten-year U.S. tourist visa stays valid on its own timeline, and plenty of other countries issue multi-year visas that outlast the book they were placed in.

The State Department allows travelers to enter the United States on a valid visa in an expired passport, as long as they also carry their current valid passport and both are from the same country. At the port of entry, the Customs and Border Protection officer checks the visa in the old passport and stamps the new one “VIOPP,” meaning visa in other passport.² Many other countries follow similar rules.

One warning from the State Department: never try to remove a visa from an old passport and place it in a new one. Doing so permanently invalidates the visa.²

Before you consider disposal, flip through every page and check for unexpired visa stamps. Replacing a visa you destroyed costs hundreds of dollars and weeks of processing.

Your Old Passport Makes Renewal Cheaper and Simpler

The entire renew-by-mail system depends on you having your previous passport to send in. Form DS-82, the mail-in renewal application, requires you to submit your most recent passport as your primary proof of citizenship and identity. Your passport must also be undamaged, issued within the last 15 years, issued when you were 16 or older, and in your current name (or accompanied by a certified name change document).³

A mail-in renewal for a passport book costs $130.⁴ After processing, the State Department mails your old passport back separately, usually about four weeks after the new one, with a hole punch or cancellation mark that keeps it out of use for travel but leaves the visa pages and stamps legible.¹

What Happens If the Old Passport Is Lost

Losing your previous passport rules out the mail-in path. You have to apply in person at a passport acceptance facility using Form DS-11, the same form first-time applicants use.⁵ Because the State Department can no longer verify your citizenship through the old book, you also have to provide original proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or naturalization certificate, plus a valid photo ID and photocopies of both.⁶

A simple mail-in renewal turns into an in-person appointment and, often, a wait for vital records you have to order and pay for. That’s the practical cost of tossing an old passport you turn out to need.

Travel History and Backup Identification

Some countries want to see your travel history when you apply for a visa. Entry and exit stamps in old passports document where you’ve been, how long you stayed, and whether you left when you were supposed to. A record of prior international travel and timely departures can help a visa officer’s review, and those stamps are hard to reconstruct once the book is gone.

An expired passport also works as secondary identification in many domestic situations, and it helps bridge a name change. If your legal name changed between passport issuances through marriage, divorce, or a court order, the old passport ties your former and current names together for banks, government agencies, and property records that may still reference the previous name.

When and How to Throw One Away

If you’ve checked the book, confirmed there’s no valid visa inside, and you’re certain you won’t need it, disposal is your call. There’s no federal program for citizens to mail in old passports for destruction. But an expired passport still holds your full legal name, date of birth, place of birth, passport number, and photograph, which is more than enough for identity fraud.

Don’t put it in the trash intact. At a minimum, cut through the personal data page, the photo page, and any pages with visa stamps or other personal information. A cross-cut shredder is better if the passport fits. If you happen to be disposing of a book that still has a valid visa in it, contact the issuing embassy first to find out whether the visa can be transferred or whether you’re giving up that entry privilege for good.

Passports Belonging to a Deceased Relative

If you’re settling a family member’s affairs, the State Department will cancel the passport, which helps prevent identity fraud in the deceased person’s name. Mail the passport, a certified copy of the death certificate, and a letter requesting cancellation that states whether you want the passport returned or destroyed. There’s no fee.⁵

Send everything to: U.S. Department of State, Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP), 44132 Mercure Circle, P.O. Box 1227, Sterling, VA 20166-1227. If the passport holder died abroad, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for guidance on the passport and on returning personal effects.⁵

1
USAGov. Renew an Adult Passport
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U.S. Department of State. About Visas – The Basics
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Travel.State.Gov. Renew Your Passport by Mail
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Travel.State.Gov. Passport Fees
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Travel.State.Gov. Report Your Passport Lost or Stolen
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Travel.State.Gov. Apply for Your Adult Passport