Do old passports need to be surrendered when applying for a replacement?

The government requires citizens to surrender their old passports when applying for new passports by mail. The passport does not need to be submitted if it is lost, stolen or damaged, but the person must apply in person at a passport agency or an authorized passport acceptance agency.

The government does not keep old passports that are surrendered with renewal applications. Once the application process is complete, the passport agency mails the old passport back to the applicant, usually with a hole punched through the pages to invalidate the document. The old passport may arrive separately from the new passport.