I Found a U.S. Passport. What Should I Do With It?

Question: 

Walking to work this morning I found a U.S. passport on someone’s driveway. What should I do with the passport?

Answer:

If you find the passport of a U.S. citizen, you should return it to the United States’ Passport Services in whichever country you are located in.

If found in the United States, return a found passport by mailing it to:

ATTN: CLASP

U.S. Department of State

CA/PPT/S/L/LE

4th Floor

1150 Passport Services Place

Dulles, VA 20189-1150

If found outside the U.S., take the passport to the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy, and return it to someone in the consular section.

It’s important to return a passport as soon as possible to an Embassy or Consulate. A U.S. citizen who lost his or her passport while traveling abroad will have to go to the embassy to be issued an emergency passport. If you return the passport to the embassy or consulate quickly, it may be possible for officials to get the passport back to its original owner instead of having to issue a temporary passport.

Returning a passport quickly also reduces the chance of identity theft.