To find an old passport number, start with the booklet itself if you still have it, since expired passports still show the number on the data page. If the passport is gone, the number very likely appears in a visa application, a flight booking, an employment file, or a scan you saved before a trip. When none of those turn it up, you can request your passport records directly from the U.S. Department of State, which has kept records of every passport issued since March 1925.
Look at the Old Passport First
An expired passport is useless for travel but perfectly good as a reference. The number appears in the upper right-hand corner of the data page, next to your photo, and again inside the machine-readable zone at the bottom.1U.S. Department of State. Information About the Next Generation U.S. Passport Current U.S. passports use one letter followed by eight digits.
One thing to know before you go digging: if you renewed, your new passport carries a completely different number, and it doesn’t reference the old one anywhere.2U.S. Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions About Passport Services Your current booklet won’t help you find the previous number.
Search Documents You Already Have
Before writing to the government, look through your own files. The old number is probably sitting in something you’ve kept:
- Visa applications and approval notices. Most countries collect the passport number on the form, so any visa you obtained during that passport’s validity will show it.
- Scans and photos of the data page. Many travelers photograph or scan their passport before a trip. Check email, cloud storage, and your phone’s camera roll.
- International flight itineraries and confirmations from airlines, which usually list the passport number entered at booking.
- Employment records. If you used the passport for an I-9, your employer may have the number on file. Paperwork from an overseas assignment is another place to look.
- Hotel and rental car records. Some international properties photocopy the passport at check-in.
Searching your email for the phrase “passport number,” or for the names of countries you visited during that passport’s life, tends to surface old confirmations quickly.
Request Your Passport Records From the State Department
If your own records come up empty, the official route is a Privacy Act request. You have a legal right to your own passport records under the Privacy Act of 1974, and the State Department will send copies of your application and related documents, which contain the number.3eCFR. 22 CFR Part 171 Subpart C – Privacy Act Provisions
What Your Letter Must Include
The request has to be a signed letter, either notarized or made under penalty of perjury. Include:
- Your full name at birth, plus any names you’ve used since (married names, legal name changes).
- Date and place of birth, with city, state, and country.
- Current mailing address, and a daytime phone number and email if available.
- The approximate date the passport was issued, or anything else that helps narrow the search.
- Any portion of the old passport number you remember.
The notarization or penalty-of-perjury statement is required because passport records are sensitive.3eCFR. 22 CFR Part 171 Subpart C – Privacy Act Provisions Notary fees typically run $2 to $25 depending on the state. Adding a signed penalty-of-perjury statement instead avoids the notary step.
Where to Send It, Cost, and Timing
Mail the request to:
U.S. Department of State
Office of Records Management
Records Review and Release Division
44132 Mercure Cir, P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 201664U.S. Department of State. Get Copies of Passport Records
Access to your own records under the Privacy Act is free.3eCFR. 22 CFR Part 171 Subpart C – Privacy Act Provisions A certified copy of a passport record costs $50 per certification, but if you only need to look up the number, you don’t need a certified copy.5eCFR. 22 CFR 22.1 – Schedule of Fees
There is no online portal for this request as of early 2026. It is mail-only.4U.S. Department of State. Get Copies of Passport Records The regulations promise a “prompt” acknowledgment and records “as soon as possible,” with no fixed deadline. Plan on several weeks at a minimum, and longer for older records or during backlogs. Don’t use this route if you need the number next week.
When to Use FOIA Instead
FOIA is the fallback when the Privacy Act process doesn’t fit, mainly when you’re seeking someone else’s records or when you can’t produce the documentation a Privacy Act request needs. Passport FOIA requests can be emailed to ppt-public-foiarequests@state.gov.4U.S. Department of State. Get Copies of Passport Records
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a second option. CBP keeps arrival and departure records for the past ten years, and those records include the passport number used at each crossing.6Homeland Security. I-94/I-95 Frequently Asked Questions CBP’s public I-94 lookup won’t help here, though, because it asks for the passport number as an input. To get the number itself, file a FOIA request through cbp.gov. Response times vary.
Getting a Family Member’s Passport Number
The rules shift when the passport isn’t yours.
A Deceased Relative
Executors, administrators, and legal representatives of an estate can request the deceased person’s passport records. You’ll need proof of death, such as a death certificate, plus documentation of your authority over the estate, like Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from a probate court.7Department of State. Release of Information From Passport Records These requests are handled under FOIA rather than the Privacy Act, and information about any living third parties in the file will be removed before release.
A Minor Child
Parents and legal guardians can request records for their minor children.8Travel.State.Gov. Passports and Children in Custody Disputes The steps mirror a request for your own records, with added documentation of the parental or guardian relationship.
A Note on Lost or Expired Passports
If your old passport simply expired and you can’t find it, you do not need to report it lost or stolen. The State Department’s guidance is to report only a passport that was still valid when it went missing.9U.S. Department of State. Report Your Passport Lost or Stolen Either way, reporting a loss does not block you from later requesting the old records through the Privacy Act.