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I have a passport that is invalid because it has holes punched in them. I received this passport when I was young and do not remember if I received a second passport when I traveled again years later. I assume that I did receive a second passport and that I have since lost it because (1) the first passport would have been expired when I traveled the second time, and (2) the first passport has holes punched in it making it invalid.

I need to get a new passport. If I had received a second passport it would be expired by now. Do I apply for a new passport or do I report a lost passport?

For the United States, from Getting or Renewing a U.S. Passport, you can renew a passport only if it is undamaged and all of the following apply:

• It was issued less than 15 years ago.


• You were 16 or older when you got it.


• It's in your current name (or you can legally document the name change).

You must apply for a new passport if any of the following apply:

• It's your first passport.


• Your last passport was damaged or lost.


• Your last passport was issued more than 15 years ago.


• Your name has changed and you have no supporting legal documents.


• It's for a child under age 16.

From what you have described, it sounds like you must apply for a new passport. Since your most recent passport is lost, there is no difference between "applying for a new passport" and "reporting a lost passport".

The US State Department has a passport wizard. It asks for various information, including whether you still have your passport and whether it has expired, and tells you what procedure to follow and which forms to submit.

In this case, since your lost passport is expired, you simply have to apply for a new one using Form DS-11. Note that this requires you to apply in person at a passport acceptance facility (e.g. a post office) and present various forms of ID to prove your identity and citizenship.

If your lost passport were not already expired, you would additionally have to submit Form DS-64 to report the loss. So you get to avoid that.

If you hadn't lost your previous passport, and a few other conditions were met, then you would be eligible to renew your passport by mail using Form DS-82. This is simpler than DS-11, doesn't require you to go anywhere, costs less, and doesn't require you to provide any ID except for the previous passport. So basically, your "punishment" for having lost your passport is not being able to use this more streamlined procedure.