Expired passport stolen - should I worry?

After my last renewal a few years ago, I received my new passport in the mail but I never received the expired one. I actually wasn't sure if I should or not (but would have liked to have it). I've not had any issues with identity theft or using the new one I was mailed.

I would probably contact the state dept. Here is what they say about expired passports:

I'm renewing my passport. Do I get the old one back? Will I get a new passport number?

In most cases, we will return the old, canceled passport to you. The old passport may be sent separately from your new passport. We recommend keeping your old passport in a safe place as it is considered proof of your U.S. citizenship. If your old passport is linked to a valid visa, you can still use the valid visa. You must travel with both your new and old passport in this case. When you receive your new passport, the number on the document will be different from the number on your previous passport.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/faqs.html

I would also notify the post office that you have not received that particular piece of mail. You can do that on the Informed Delivery webpage.

It can't be used as a passport. The number will be shown as expired. (You get a new number with a new passport.)

It could be used as a form of ID but you won't get in trouble.

More than likely it was just misdelivered.

Thank you!
I will call the state department.

Was going to wait a few days to inform post office since informed delivery is often 1-2 days in advance of the actual delivery. But pretty sure this was taken as my husband saw junk mail on the ground up and down our street yesterday.

Appreciate the responses.

You get a new # with a new passport. You have no need for the old passport.

No, there is no reason to report the expired one as missing. Nor do you need to be unduly concerned. The information on your passport—-name, address, citizenship, and birthdate—-is not enough for identity theft. (Actually your name and address are right on the face of every piece of mail you get). The photo on your passport is protected in such a way it can’t be effectively used by another person.

The new passport has an entirely new number—-remember to change it if you have plane reservations for any foreign trips.

Is the postal service notification you received by email the “Informed Delivery” that you signed up for? When I had a problem with “missing mail” I went to the post office to see if it was still there (it wasn’t), I tried to show them the Informed Delivery notice for the missing mail. She said that has no connection with the timing of the mail delivery. Which I found very odd, but I did not press the issue. But I did say that if the mail in question was delivered as she said, it must have been stolen. As it turned out, our watchful neighbor had removed it from our mailbox right after delivery, as she knew we were away and would not return until the following day. So no stolen mail after all.

What did the notification you received say, and who was it from? When I renewed my passport very recently, I received 3 separate mailings on 3 different days.:

First, on May 15, came my old passport, in an envelope from “Passport Services DOS” in Tucson, AZ. This was actually listed among packages, not mail, in the Informed Delivery notice.

The new passport came on May 23 in a dark blue envelope from the US Department of State National Passport Center in Virginia.

The new passport card arrived several days later in a plain legal-sized envelope from “US Government Official Mail” in Portsmouth, NH.

I see no reason to call the State Department, they can't do anything, it is a dead document, there is nothing to block, no notification to make, you have the new one, it would just be a waste of time to try to get to a person to politely tell you not to worry about it.

Nothing in the statement quoted above indicates they should be notified. The bit about "proof of US Citizenship" and the blurb about a Visa are mainly for naturalized citizens, where even an expired passport can be used as proof of citizenship, and to link the old passport number to a carried over visa. Neither apply in your case. If anything, report to the post office, they can file a report, but again, not much they can do physically.

I see no reason to call the State Department, they can't do anything

Agreed. No point in calling them.

I wouldn't worry about it, but I would report it to the USPS through Informed Delivery, whatever good that will do...

I’m not too worried about it but my husband was pretty upset. I reminded him the information contained - name and address are on all mail and birthdate could likely easily be found in a google search.

The notification was through our regular usps informed delivery daily email. I figure it must be the old passport since we already received our new ones. From the picture on the informed delivery it appears to be a dark envelope from US dept of state, national passport center, sterling VA

That is interesting. That dark blue envelope from Sterling VA is what contained my new passport. He has received that, correct? Are you sure that Informed Delivery notice isn’t for his new passport? They do not always match up with the actual delivery date.

As I stated above, my old expired passport came from “Passport Services DOS” in a completely different type of mailing envelope, and was listed in the Informed Delivery as a package, not mail. So maybe his hasn’t come yet, and you have nothing to worry about.

Most people say that the old passport arrives later than the new one, sometimes much later. I think my experience of having that arrive a week earlier than the passport was unusual.

I have kept all my old ones.
I didn’t really know why I did so, until I retired.
When I was applying for Pension related benefits, my old passports were the only way to prove where I had worked outside of Canada, in order to claim the right number of years of pension due.
I had to hand them in for perusal by the relevant agency.
I got them back afterward.
I don’t know if you would need them for a similar purpose in the USA.
If nothing else, they are a piece of your history!

I hope you get yours back.
It’s worthless to anyone but you.

We renewed our passports last year, and received the new ones in three weeks. It was another two months before we received the old ones. I had just about given up hope, but they finally came. I hope yours do too!

@lola I cannot say with confidence what color the MIA envelope is, only that it appears darker on the black and white pic on the informed delivery notice. The passport we have in our possession is most definitely the new one - expires May 2033 - that came to us via priority mail we paid extra for and was, like yours, listed as a package on the informed delivery. The new passport arrived the last week of May, so it makes sense this would have been the old one arriving after.

@S J - I would have liked to have it too. As you indicated, it is a piece of our history and all the stamps showing our various travels.

In any case, just glad we received the new passports. I would have been a mess had it been the new passport and if I had to go through all the steps again, not to mention spend the money again, and have the stress when our next trip is 50 days away.

Thanks again for all the responses!

Did your new application ask if you have ever lost a passport? I lost mine once, that had expired, I was using as ID, and they wanted to know when and where, on a whole other long form to fill out. Maybe it isn't a big deal anymore, but it was when I re-applied for one.