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Ship a passport with tracked delivery plus a signature requirement, in a rigid mailer, with nothing on the outside saying it is a passport. Before sealing it, scan the bio-data page and record the document number separately: those copies are what let you report it lost and get a replacement fast.
A passport is one of the few items that is simultaneously hard to replace and valuable to steal. Tracking tells you where it is at every step; the signature requirement means it cannot be left in a mailbox, on a porch, or with a neighbor. That combination closes the two failure modes that matter: the package wandering off unnoticed, and the package being delivered to an empty house. For the highest level of custody, registered mail adds signed handoffs at every step of the journey, which is the standard governments themselves use when they mail passports to applicants.
A mailer marked "passport" or "travel documents" advertises exactly what identity thieves want. Theft from mail is often a crime of opportunity: someone grabs what looks valuable. A plain rigid mailer marked "documents" or nothing at all gets the same handling from the carrier with none of the targeting. This includes the return address: use a name without a title or agency affiliation. The one time to break this rule is never; if the recipient is a passport office, their address is already on file and needs no label from you.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Use a rigid cardboard mailer so the passport cannot bend or tear | Use a thin paper envelope that can split open in sorting machines |
| Place the passport in a plastic sleeve inside the mailer | Leave it loose where it can slide into the mailer's seam |
| Mark the mailer "documents" or nothing | Write "passport," "visa application," or "travel documents" on it |
| Keep a scan of the bio-data page and the document number | Assume you will remember the details later |
Make a clear scan or photo of the bio-data page: the page with your photo, name, document number, and expiry date. Record the document number separately from the scan, in a password manager or a safe place, because if your phone and the passport are both gone, a backup stored on the phone does not help. These copies are what you hand to the passport office or police if the shipment goes missing: reporting a lost passport with its exact document number gets the replacement process moving in one visit instead of several.
Only when the office tells you to. Passport agencies usually have their own rules about how supporting documents and old passports reach them: some want them mailed to a specific address with a specific service, others want in-person submission. If an application guide says to mail your documents, follow its instructions exactly, because deviating from their process can mean your application sits in the wrong queue. When you do mail it, this is one case where the slowest, most documented service beats the fastest one: custody matters more than speed for a document you cannot reprint.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label. LetterAgent labels are Canada-only Xpresspost up to 5 kg; for a passport, choose a signature option with tracking.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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