Reasons to keep your old expired passport

You should submit your old Passport for processing with the other supporting documents when you renew your Passport. You will then have your old Passport stamped as 'cancelled', and the new Passport returned. Our travellers often ask us, 'What should I do with my expired passport?' Although it is still very useful to use your expired Passport for travel.

An expired passport should not be treated with and thrown away the same as expired medicines, food or coupons. It is a good idea to crush or destroy your old Passport as a result, as many people believe when you get the new one, you will cut and discard your previous credit card because you are always afraid to lose the document. If you are wrong, your identity could be robbed or misused.

Reasons for Keeping the Expired Passport Safe

It's a Proof of Identity

Your Passport is still an internationally recognised travel document that confirms your identity and nationality regardless of its validity. It is still an official paper issued by the authorities of your country, even if it expired. Each new Passport issued contains information on your old Passport. Your Passport is not invalid, and your identity is a continuous record.

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May Contains Valid Visas

Your old Passport may still bear valid visas if you are a frequent traveller. Many countries need to renew the visa once your Passport is changed when your Passport is renewed. But you can travel with the same visa appended to the old Passport for a few countries. If you obtain a new passport (if your old Passport expires), the validity of an existing visa does not expire unless your personal details and nationality have changed. You can travel with your old Passport together with your new Passport as a visa holder. Various countries which issue multiple entry visas for long term use have specific rules which allow you to use the visa in your old Passport. For example, US visas with multiple entry facilities for ten (10) years are issued. You can continue to use your US visa regardless of your passport renewal until the day it expires. Only make sure that both your passports – your new Passport and your old Passport with US visas – are brought with you when you visit.

Proof of the Travel History

The most important element in the approval of visas is your history. A well-travelled passport will show that the person is stable and will go home. Visa officers will verify your travel history when you apply for a visa to any country, and how better than presenting your previous Passport as the entry and exit stamps in your Passport in all visited countries show that you have travelled abroad history. The applicant's chances of obtaining a visa successfully increase with strong travel history (valid or expired) of major countries. For example, it is definitely an additional benefit to receive a US, United Kingdom, Schengen, Australia visa, Canada visa and New Zealand visa.

Also, when you apply for a job requiring safety clearance or a travel history background check, at that time, it would be almost impossible to remember when you travelled and where you were without your old Passport and the marks inside, without thinking that you remember every journey or that you didn't travel much at all. In either way, you can use your old/expired Passport to provide accurate travel history information.

Acts a Mandate document for the Visa Application

Some countries require you (if applicable) to submit your old Passport and other documents to process a visa application. This is necessary to check whether the applicant has visited that country recently. Where the country's used visa is in a prior passport, a copy, visa and registration of the previous Passport is required. If the Passport previously existed (for example, old ones are lost/destroyed etc.)Then, the applicant must submit a letter exploring his previous Passport to the embassy/consulate. A tedious process like that, right? Why not simply keep your old Passport safe and present it as needed for a stress-free visa experience instead of undergoing this procedure.

Memories for Old Trips

Your Passport remains a precious document, which depicts all the marvellous journeys that until now have been made throughout the world. It's still a time capsule that lets you immediately return to the places you visited and relive all those memories that will last for a lifetime. For this very reason, many people decide to maintain their old Passport. Hold on yours! It looks as though it has tonnes of memories as well. It's always so difficult to say farewell to a passport! Every timbre, every visa, every page tells the storey of your life journey. So why not remember all your travels when preserving your Passport?

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Final Words

By now, you must have got the answer to the question What should I do with my expired Passport? Remember that never throw your expired passport as it is a very important document and you must keep it safe.

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