When traveling to a foreign country, there’s nothing more exciting than getting a new destination stamp on your passport. A passport is a great way to keep track of all the new places you’ve gone throughout the years.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that a passport is more than just a booklet for collecting stamps from different countries. A passport is also a legal document issued by the country you live in that grants you the ability to re-enter your country when your travels are over. This document verifies the country you live in and your identity. That is why it’s so important to always properly protect your passport when you are traveling.
Passports do not last forever. If you received your passport when you were over the age of 16, it is good for up to 10 years. If you’re an adult who has traveled a bit, chances are good you have some old passports. Should you keep your old passports or throw them away? Regardless of what you choose, here are some tips on how to safely handle your old passports.
How should I safely store old passports?
Many people keep old passports as mementos from their old travels. Sometimes you may receive passports from family members and loved ones who are no longer here — those can also make great keepsakes of the lives they lived.
Even if an old passport has an expired date or the word “canceled” stamped on it, it’s important to remember it still retains its value as a legal document showing your citizenry. You can use an expired passport in lieu of a birth certificate when applying for a new passport or a driver’s license if you move to a new state.
Additionally, if you still resemble the person in the picture, old passports can still prove your identity.
For that reason, old passports should always be kept in a safe place. Anyone who gets a hold of your passport could use it for nefarious reasons, such as identity theft.
How do I properly throw out an old passport?
We recommend keeping old passports as they come in handy when you need to prove who you are or where you live. However, if for some reason you want to destroy an old passport, here are some tips to do it properly:
Cut out the biometric photo in the passport and cut it into small pieces using scissors.
Tear out each page of the passport and shred them using a paper shredder. Once finished, double-check the shredder did its job correctly. And make sure it’s shredded to the point where someone cannot reconstruct pages of your passport.
Dispose of the shreds and small pieces in separate containers. Again, you do not want someone to be able to reconstruct your passport. Or you can safely burn the passport pieces to ensure they are completely gone.
An important note — all United States passports issued from 2007 until today contain a microchip embedded in the passport. This microchip contains a copy of all the personal information in your passport. It is illegal to tamper with the chip and almost impossible to destroy the chip. For that reason, holding on to older passports issued after 2006 is your best bet.
Passport Health offers a variety of vaccination and physical services to help you stay safe and healthy at home and abroad. Call 937-306-7541 or book online to schedule your appointment today.
Written for Passport Health by Corrie Pelc. Corrie Pelc is a freelance writer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She has a passion for health and wellness, having written for publications including Exceptional Parent, DAYSPA, INVISION, Eyecare Professional, and Hepatitis Magazine.
