Expired passport not returned

[scg1005 1]

In July 2020 I sent in my US passport for renewal and surprisingly, it was approved quickly even though I apply for routine service, and the new passport was in my hands ~4 weeks later. Oddly, my previous passport has not been returned yet. The customer service agent at the National Passport center says my previous passport was mailed the day after the new passport, but it has been 6 weeks and I havent received it yet.

 

Question: If you have recently sent your US passport for renewal, how long did it take to receive your expired passport after your renewal was approved? It was supposed to be < 10 business days, so curious if the returns are being delayed due to covid? 

[NEW CITIZEN 151]

Documents (Old passports Naturalization Certificates) are sent back as soon as the new passports are printed.

You should have received it no less than a week after your new passport.

 

6 weeks? It's lost.

[scg1005 1]

Update: I had sent a letter to the National Passport Center (US Department of State National Passport Center, 44132 MERCURE Circle, PO BOX 1108 Sterling VA 20166-1108) letting them know I hadnt received my old passport back, and amazingly they turned it around in 1 day - they left me a voice mail letting them know it is on it's way (on a Friday), and I received it by Monday. It came back with the famous hole punches to indicate it is no longer valid.

 

Moral of the story: 1) State department appears to be backlogged (maybe due to Covid), 2) Their automated status notifications are wrong / not up dated, and their customer service agents have access to that incorrect information, and 3) Best course of action is to write a letter directly to the state department to look into these issues.