Ashlee Jenae's Fiancé Joe McCann Cleared to Return to U.S. After Influencer's Death

Ashlee Jenae’s fiancé Joe McCann has been given back his passport and will be returning home to the U.S. following Ashlee's shocking death earlier last month ... TMZ has learned.

Joe McCann's lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, tells TMZ ... authorities in Tanzania returned Joe's American passport to him yesterday after he remained in Tanzania for nearly a month while cooperating with authorities.

Edward clarifies this was not a newly-issued passport from the State Department and explains it was Joe's actual passport that he voluntarily handed over to authorities the day after Ashlee's death. Tanzanian authorities chose to give it back to Joe on Thursday.

Even further, Edward says authorities then authorized and allowed Joe to return to the U.S., and Joe will arrive sometime soon at an "undisclosed location" on U.S. soil.

Despite online rumors, Joe was never arrested or locked up ... and Edward tells us Joe stayed cooperative with investigators the whole time.

Authorities haven't said publicly if Joe has been officially cleared by authorities in the investigation, but clearly, Joe's not under intense suspicion if they're letting him leave.

As we reported ... Ashlee Jenae died during a birthday trip to Tanzania, where she just got engaged to Joe days before.

Earlier local reports claimed cops initially believed Ashlee died by suicide and haven’t publicly changed that position ... though Ashlee’s family has said they find her death "suspicious".

Ashley's family told us they hadn't heard from Joe since their daughter's death, but we're told Joe was left on read by Ashlee's mother.