Why Should I Keep an Old/Expired Passport?

It might seem that an expired passport doesn’t have any real use once you get a new one, but it actually does. Here’s why you should never just throw them in the trash.

After you’ve had your passport for a certain number of years, the government requires you to renew it. But expired passports shouldn’t be treated the same as expired coupons or food and just thrown in the trash. Expired passports can actually come in handy, even after you’ve already ordered a new one.

1. Your cancelled passport is valid proof of your citizenship. As long as you remain recognizable as the person in the photo on your old passport, it can be used as proof of your citizenship. If you ever lose your valid passport and need to get a lost passport replacement you can submit a cancelled passport as proof of your citizenship instead of turning in an original birth certificate.
2. Your old passport is proof of your identity. We hope you never find yourself in the situation of having both your passport and driver’s license lost or stolen, but if you ever do, that old passport can be an important way to prove your identity to get a new driver’s license issued.
3. If your cancelled passport contains visas. It’s very important to hold on to it! Some countries, like India, will allow you to transfer a valid visa from a cancelled passport to a new one. Brazil, which issues 10 year visas to US citizens, will actually allow you to enter the country carrying both a cancelled passport with a valid visa and a new passport. China also issues 10 year visa to US citizens, and also allow foreigners (not only US citizen but also passport holder from another country) to enter China carrying both a cancelled passport with a valid visa and a new passport. Far more countries, like Russia and Afghanistan, will want to know the details of any previous visas when you apply for a new visa. You will need to keep your old passport on hand so you can refer back to your old visas and make photocopies of them if required.
4. Your old passport is the best travel souvenir! Your passport is a record of all the countries you’ve visited. Flipping through the pages and seeing all your entry and exit stamps is a great way to bring back memories of your trips. It’s also fun to look back at your old passport photos, and what could be a cuter keepsake than “baby’s first passport”?
5. Your expired passport is acrucial document for police check application in China. If you old/expired passport could not be submitted for China police check application (you can find it's one of the required documents for China PCC application), China will not be able to issue PCC for your time spent with your old/expired passport.