Where to find your passport number
Short answer. Open your passport book to the photo page. The passport number is in the top band of the page, above your name, and up to nine characters long. It's repeated as the first nine characters of the second machine-readable line, the two lines of letters, numbers and < signs on the same page. A passport card has its own, different number; its machine-readable lines are on the back.
Passport book or passport card?
| Passport book | Passport card | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the number is | Photo page: top band, above your name, and in the second machine-readable line | In the machine-readable lines on the back |
| Length | Up to 9 characters | 9 characters |
| Same number as the other? | No. Book and card have different numbers. | |
| Good for | International travel by air, land and sea | Land border crossings and seaports when coming from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Not international flights. |
When a form asks for your passport book number, it means the passport number printed in your book. The State Department's own forms use "book number" and "card number" to tell the two apart.
How to read it from the machine-readable lines
- Find the two machine-readable lines on the photo page: long rows of capital letters, numbers and < signs. US passports follow the international standard for these lines.
- Take the second line. Its first nine characters are your passport number.
- Stop at the < sign. If the number is shorter than nine characters, the rest is filled with < signs. Those aren't part of the number.
- Leave out the tenth character. It's a check digit, not part of your passport number.
- Type it as letters and numbers only, with no spaces or other characters. That's how CBP tells carriers to enter document numbers.
Your passport number, one search away.
GoodThru keeps your passport number, issue date and expiration date encrypted on your iPhone. Type "passport" and copy the number into the form. If the passport goes missing, you still have the number and issue date the lost-passport form asks for.
When your passport number changes
- Every new passport gets a new number. Each newly issued book or card has a different number from your previous one, whether you renewed or replaced it.
- Update it where you saved the old one. If you have Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI, CBP asks you to add the new passport in your Trusted Traveler Programs account under "Update Documents". Check any travel profiles where you stored the old number, too.
- A lost or stolen passport's number is retired. Once you report it, the passport is invalidated and its number can't be reused, even if the passport turns up later.
If you can't find your passport
Report a lost or stolen passport to the State Department right away: online with Form DS-64, or by phone at 1-877-487-2778. The form asks for the passport number and issue date if you know them, so you can still report it without them. A photo or copy of your photo page, if you kept one, shows both. To replace it and for renewal rules, see when your passport expires and how to renew.
Questions
Where is the passport number in a US passport?
On the photo page, in the top band above your name. It's also the first nine characters of the second machine-readable line, the two lines of letters, numbers and < signs on the same page.
Is the passport book number the same as the passport number?
Yes. State Department forms say "passport book number" for the passport number printed in your passport book, to tell it apart from the number on a passport card.
Do the passport book and passport card have the same number?
No. The State Department says the passport book and card have different numbers, so give the one the form asks for.
Does my passport number change when I renew?
Yes. Each newly issued passport book or card has a different number from your previous one. Update it anywhere you saved the old one, including your Trusted Traveler Programs account.
Can I report a lost passport if I don't know the number?
Yes. Form DS-64 asks for the passport number and issue date only if you know them. Once reported, the passport is invalidated, and its number can't be reused.
Can I fly abroad with a passport card?
No. The passport card isn't valid for international air travel. It works only at land border crossings and seaports when coming from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
Sources
- ICAO Doc 9303, Part 4 (8th edition, 2021): Machine Readable Passports (passport number in the header above the name, up to nine characters, first nine characters of the second machine-readable line, < fillers, check digit)
- CBP: APIS Document Guidance (2012) (US passport follows ICAO, number on the biographical page, card's machine-readable lines on the back, letters and numbers only)
- State Department: Form DS-64 (book and card have different numbers, lost or stolen numbers can't be reused, number and issue date if known)
- State Department: Form DS-82 instructions (new number on every new book or card, what the book and card are valid for)
- USA.gov: Lost or stolen passports (how to report, invalidation)
- CBP: Trusted Traveler Program FAQ (adding a new passport under "Update Documents")
All checked November 13, 2026. Forms and rules change, so confirm with the State Department before you apply or travel. GoodThru is an independent app and isn't affiliated with the US Department of State, CBP or any government agency.
