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I am helping an elderly relative renew his US passport.

This evening he received his new US passport, but not the old one.

Does the US Passport office still send old US passport. When can he expect it? (He is worried right now and the US Passport office is closed.)

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    My wife and toddler received passports this year. The old passport and birth certificate were returned in separate mailings about a week after the passports. I suspect the physical address of the document examiner is not the same physical address as the biometric passport manufacturing plant. Both the passport mailing and the credential mailing included an insert that describes the other document is in a separate mailing.
    – user662852
    Sep 10, 2019 at 16:40

1 Answer 1

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This State Department page lists the steps to be taken to renew one's US passport by mail. The page contains this text:

  1. Submit your Most Recent U.S. Passport

You must submit your most recent passport with your application.

Please note:

  • Your U.S. passport book and/or card must meet all of the requirements listed at the top of this page.

  • Your old passport book and/or card will be returned to you, but generally it will come in a separate mailing from your new passport.

The wording is clear that the old passport will be returned, usually in a separate mailing. I have no idea how long it will take for the old passport to be sent.

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    From past experience I'd give it a week. Though it could be tomorrow., or lost in the mail somewhere. Sep 10, 2019 at 3:28
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    I can confirm this from my passport renewal experience - old passport comes in a separate mailing. I don't recall how much time between them but I'm pretty sure it was less than 10 days. Sep 10, 2019 at 16:42

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