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What needs to be done with a passport when someone dies?

Question: When someone dies, is there anything that needs to be done with their passport?


Answer: Yes, there is something you can do with passport of a deceased person. Here are your options:

Disposition of Passport for Deceased Person/Family Member

The first option is to keep the passport in your possession. You can keep it as a memento if you choose.

Another option is to send it in to be canceled and then returned to you.

If you choose to have it canceled and returned, you need to mail the passport to the CLASP unit along with a copy of the Certificate of Death. For the canceled passport to be returned to you, include a letter stating that request.

Mail the passport, Certificate of Death, and letter requesting canceled/returned passport (if applicable) to:

U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP)
CA/PPT/S/L/LE/CP
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166-1227

Finally, you can send the passport to the CLASP unit so that it may be canceled and destroyed.

Comments for What needs to be done with a passport when someone dies?

Click here to add your own comments

Cancel or Shred Passport
by: Peggy

Question: Is it better and does it offer more security against identity theft to cancel a passport rather than just shredding it?

Answer: Hello, Peggy. You may send the passport of the deceased to the CLASP unit to be canceled and destroyed. Alternatively, you may have it canceled and then returned to you.
Passport cancellation and return
by: Anonymous

Question: My husband passed away and for the letter requesting the cancelation and return of the passport, does the letter need to be notarized?
Will I get any passport cancellation certificate?

Answer: We're sorry for your loss.

Your late husband's passport can be kept as a memento but if you want to have it canceled, you may send it to the CLASP unit with a copy of the death certificate and a signed request for cancellation. The letter does not need to be notarized. You may also request to have the passport destroyed or returned to you.
Return of death certificate
by: Anonymous

Question: If I have the passport returned to me, will I get the certified copy of the death certificate returned also?

Answer: Supporting documents are sent back once the application process is completed.
Deceased Parent's Expired Passport
by: Anonymous

Question: My deceased parent's passport expired in 2009. Can I shred the passport or must it be sent to the CLASP Unit for destruction?

Answer: You can do either.
How to cancel passport without a passport
by: Anonymous

Question: My mother passed away and I want to cancel her passport but can not find it. what can I do?

Answer: You need the actual passport of the deceased person in order to have it canceled and/or destroyed. Unless you have the said document, you cannot have it canceled.
Transporting ashes
by: Anonymous

Question: Hello, my mother died here in the US and she lost her US passport. We want to bring her ashes to the Philippines. What do we have to do?

Answer: Only living people require passports to travel. Generally, you just need the death certificate and the cremation certificate to transport ashes internationally. Please contact the airline you are flying with to confirm requirements.
Lost passport
by: Helen

Question: My mother passed away on August 20 last year but she had lost her passport before she passed away. Now we want to take her bones to her country of birth but she lost her passport. Can she get only one time exiting Visa to her country?

Answer: Hi, Helen. We're sorry for your loss. Your late mother's bones do not need a passport to leave the United States. You may coordinate with the airline for requirements.
Need copy of canceled passport
by: Patty

Question: My mother passed away in her home country while vacationing. Life insurance is asking for a copy of the deceased's passport but I never got her passport back. What can I do to get a copy of the canceled passport if I don't have her actual passport?

Answer: We're sorry for your loss.

You may request for a passport record to get the necessary information regarding your late mother's passport.
Don’t have death certificate
by: Anonymous

Question: I can not obtain a death certificate from a foreign country due to war in that country. Can I send to cancel a U.S. passport without a death certificate?

Answer: The death certificate is required to cancel a deceased person's passport. Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 for more information.
Refund on passport
by: Anne Thomas

Question: My husband is in a care home after being diagnosed with Vascular/Alzheimers & will no longer travel. Can I claim a refund on his passport which still has 5 years before it expires?

Answer: The Department of State does not issue refunds for a passport's remaining validity.
What to do with the passport of a deceased family member
by: Anonymous

Question: I have the passport number, but not the actual passport. How can I cancel my deceased mother's passport without the actual passport?

Answer: Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778.
cost for CLASP return?
by: sonia

Question: My father passed away and I would like to cancel his passport and have it returned. I will use the CLASP option once I receive his death cert. Is there a cost to have the passport mailed back to me? Thanks.

Answer: Hello, Sonia. The Department of State's page on CLASP returns does not indicate any fees or that you need to send a self-addressed return envelope. You can send one just to be sure or you can verify with the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 before sending the request.
Inquiry
by: Anonymous

Question: I would like to inquire on how to return a passport of a US citizen who died here last Jan 6. LBC says it should be returned to the Embassy, called the Embassy and they said I need to send a copy of the death cert and passport which I did on their FB messenger account. Do I still need to mail it? Thanks.

Answer: You need to mail the actual passport and a copy of the death certificate to the U.S. embassy in the country where you decide.
Expired passport
by: Anonymous

Question: What do I do with an expired passport?

Answer: If the passport

1. Was issued with full 10 years validity when you were 16 years or older
2. Is undamaged
3. Was issued in the last 15 years.

..you may submit it for a renewal by mail.

If the passport

1. Was issued with full 10 years validity when you were 16 years or older
2. Is undamaged
3. Is more than 15 years old

..you may use it as evidence of U.S. citizenship when you apply for a new passport.
Expired passport of deceased
by: Anonymous

Question: What do I do with an expired passport of my deceased mother?

Answer: You may keep it as a memento or have it destroyed by the Department of State. Mail the passport, Certificate of Death, and letter requesting cancelled/returned passport (if applicable) to the following address:

U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP)
CA/PPT/S/L/LE/CP
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166-1227
Death of holder
by: Anonymous

Question: Upon death of holder, can it be used by remaining spouse?

Answer: It is illegal to use a passport that was issued to anyone other than the person named in it. The passport of the deceased has to be sent to CLASP to be destroyed.
Information Noted on Passport Record of Deceased
by: Anonymous

Question: My mother passed away recently. I plan to send her passport to CLASP to cancel and return it to me for a memento. Does CLASP note in the deceased's passport record that the holder is "deceased" to prevent someone from using her identity to obtain a passport? Thank you.

Answer: The passport will be invalidated ad no one may use it. It will most likely arrive with holes punched.
Mom passed away before we got the passport
by: Anonymous

Question: My mom passed away by the time we received her new passport. I didn’t open the envelope. Can I return it and get the money back?

Answer: Unfortunately, passport fees are non-refundable.
Father died in Mexico
by: Anya

Question: My father went for a vacation to Mexico as a resident in 2018 and he passed away during that period of time . I would like to know if his passport has been cancelled or somebody is using his personal information? Can I get help or how can I check? Thank you.

Answer: Hi, Anya. Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 regarding your concern.
Passport of son who died
by: Anonymous

Question: The girlfriend who was with my son still has his passport. My son passed 9/23/18. How do I cancel his passport that I may never get back?

Answer: You may call the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778.
Death certificate
by: Anonymous

Question: I need to have my deceased mother's passport cancelled. Does the death certificate need to be an official certified copy or can I send a photocopy?

Answer: A copy of the death certificate should suffice. Please mail it with the passport and the request for cancellation to the following address:

U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP)
CA/PPT/S/L/LE/CP
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166-1227
Passport
by: Anonymous

Question: My husband died 2019, passport runs out 2023. Is there a cash return?

Answer: We're sorry to learn about your loss. Unfortunately, there is no cash return.
Tenant died
by: Anonymous

Question: Is it legal to give my tenant passport to his relatives like the next of kin? Or I should sent it in for cancellation myself as a landlord?

Answer: Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 regarding your concern.
Acquiring deceased relatives passport
by: Tom

Question: I would like to know if it is possible to obtain a passport or info for a deceased member of a family? Person seeking could not find mother's passport who emigrated from Germany to U.S. in 1955.

Answer: You may request for a passport record.
Deceased and passport expired
by: Kim

Question: Both of my in-laws have passed away. One in 1991 the other in 2007. I have several copies of their passports. Most are marked cancelled when they renewed but one for each of them is just expired. Do I need to have them cancelled or may I just shred?

Answer: You may have the passports of the deceased cancelled. You can also request to have it destroyed at the same time.
I sent my deceased mom’s passport to be canceled by I don’t see markings
by: Danielle

Question: Hi. I mailed a copy of my mother’s death certificate, her passport and a letter requesting her passport be canceled and returned to me. I received the passport back, thank you.

However, I see no signs or markings indicating the passport has been canceled. There are no holes punched in the passport. There is not a stamp saying it was canceled. Is that a mistake? Thank you.

Answer: It should not be a mistake. Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 to confirm.
Shredded passport
by: Margaret

Question: My dad passed away in April. Unfortunately, my stepmom & stepsister decided to shred his current passport. How do I cancel it in case they didn't actually shred the passport? I have a photocopy of the information page. Thank you for your help.

Answer: Please call passport services at 1-877-487-2778.
Return
by: Karen

Question: I would like it to be officially canceled but returned for memento reasons. Do we need to enclose postage or will CLASP cover the return cost?

Answer: CLASP should cover it. Please call customer service at 1-877-487-2778 to confirm.
Son passed away
by: Helena

Question: My son passed away August 4 2017. He lived in Orlando, Florida. I been looking for his passport can't find it. Maybe someone stole it. What should I do? I am his mom and my son's name is Dennis Jarrin. Also, I been looking for his social security and found nothing. Thanks.

Answer: Hi, Helena. We are sorry to hear about your loss. Unfortunately, passport services does not have a way to track lost passports. It is possible that your son's personal effects are kept somewhere safe or it could also have been stolen.
Travel and debt/credit default
by: Anonymous

Question: If we have a credit default on credit file for Mobile debt. The account is with debt collectors with whom we have payment agreement. Creditor is Mobile company.

Is there any problem travelling overseas - will immigration stop us or see credit file or will the mobile company inform immigration to stop us travel?

Answer: It should not unless there is a standing order from the courts preventing you from traveling.
Passport cancellation - Telcos
by: Anonymous

As telco sim providers data is private, if relative informs a telco like optus about a death they usually close the account. But if they want a death certificate - can they verify the death from any other government agency? Is there any local agency that verifies deaths?

If a person is marked deceased on sim providers side, will immigration or passport database agencies be able to know that a sim holder is marked deceased or can telcos inform them?

Answer: The local vital records office keeps records of births, deaths and marriages so if the telco wants to verify a death, they may contact them. However, since telcos subscriber's information is private, it is very unlikely that they will report it to immigration.
Passport cancellation
by: Anonymous

Question: Can a Telco provider or Telco debt collector inform or update passport or other immigration related authority about a person’s demise which will lead to flagging or cancellation of the persons passports?

Answer: Information of such nature must be reported by next of kin. Telco providers or any representative thereof cannot report or request for the cancellation of said person's passport or immigration status. Having said that, questions may arise if the Telco inquires about the death of a person and no record of the death may be found. This may warrant a full-fledged investigation should the Telco deem it as necessary.
Cancellation in case of phone debt
by: Anonymous

Question: If a relative informs on phone to a debt collector of a Phone account that’s a sim provider that the account holder passed away, both to debt collector and phone provider., but has not yet given death certificate. Can debt collectors or phone provider contact IMMIGRATION OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY about it or is it limited to them only? In this case, how can they verify a death?

Answer: It is possible that they will contact the local vital records office to find out if a death certificate has been filed under that particular person's name.
Cancellation of sim or debt
by: Anonymous

Question: If a relative informs debt collectors about a demise orally on the phone, does the debt collector for phone bills inform any government agency or immigration or any coroner about it?

Answer: It is possible that they will verify the death through the appropriate government agency.
Passport cancellation
by: Anonymous

Question: If I have informed a telco provider to close an account on demise of my sister, can they update passport/immigration authority of a demise? Eventually passport are cancelled? Like Vodafone , Optus.

Answer: No, they cannot.
Passport
by: Anonymous

Question: My father passed away in March and have his passport as a keepsake. Is it compulsory that I return the passport? By law, should I be doing that? Thank you.

Answer: We are sorry to learn about your loss. You may keep your father's passport as a memento.
Correct Address
by: Anonymous

Question: The address in the first paragraph is different from the address given to the various questions posted. Please confirm the correct address for CLASP to send death certificate, passport, and letter to have it returned. Also does this also cancel GOES registration?

Answer: Please send the passport to the following address:

U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP)
CA/PPT/S/L/LE/CP
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166-1227

You need to contact CBP regarding the GOES cancellation.
Cancelling passport after death
by: Fatima

Question: My father passed away in an accident and we should cancel his passport to get claim from his company. So may I know the documents and steps to be followed?

Answer: We are sorry to learn about your loss.

You need the following to have the passport cancelled:

1. Copy of the death certificate
2. A letter requesting that the cancelled passport be returned to you
3. Passport of the deceased

Please mail it to the following address:

U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP)
CA/PPT/S/L/LE/CP
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166-1227
Passport of a deceased person
by: Anonymous

Question: My friend's passport expired in 2006. She died in 2008. Can I just shred the passport?

Answer: Yes, you can.
Expired passports of deceased
by: Esmay

Question: If passports of deceased people(family) have expired and I no longer want to keep them, can I destroy them or do I need to return to you?

Answer: You may have the passports of the deceased destroyed by sending them to CLASP.

Mail the passport, Certificate of Death, and letter requesting for the passport to be destroyed to the following address:

U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP)
CA/PPT/S/L/LE/CP
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166-1227
Out of date passport
by: Pauline

Question: My deceased mother's passport expired in 2003, does it still need to be returned?

Answer: Hi, Pauline. There is no need to return your mother's passport.
Passport with death certificate
by: Anonymous

Question: If I mail the passport with a copy of the death certificate, how can I be sure you receive it?

Answer: You may use a traceable delivery method to ensure that CLASP receives it.
Death certificate required?
by: Peggy M.

Question: If I do not want the passport returned as a memento. Do I still need to send a copy of the death certificate when mailing the passport to you? If so, does it need to be a certified copy or will a photocopy of the certificate be sufficient?

Answer: A photocopy of the death certificate should suffice.
Crazy
by: Anonymous

Question: So I can give mom's passport to someone who needs one?

Answer: No, you cannot. A passport issued to one person cannot be used by another.

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UPDATE: Mailing delays and high demand are impacting passport processing. The Department of State's processing times begin when applications are received at a passport agency or center and not when you mail them or apply at a local acceptance facility.

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Regional passport agencies are offering two types of appointments: Life-of-Death Emergency Service and Urgent Travel Service.

Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, and grandparent) that require you to travel outside the United States within 3 business days.

If you need to travel due to a qualified life-or-death emergency, please call the National Passport Information Center for an appointment.

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If you need to travel urgently for reasons other than a life-or-death emergency, please call the NPIC.

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