How to Use Your Passport Application Locator Number

A passport application locator number is the nine-digit code the U.S. State Department assigns to every passport application it receives, and it follows your paperwork through every step until your passport is mailed. The first two digits identify the passport agency or center handling your case. You’ll find the number on the receipt from your acceptance appointment or on the confirmation the State Department sends after receiving a mailed application.

What the Number Looks Like

Nine digits, no letters. The first two identify the specific facility processing your application. Applications handled by the Charleston Passport Center start with digits in the 34–39 range, for example, and the Los Angeles Passport Agency uses 50. The State Department publishes the full list of facility codes on its status page, so the opening digits tell you exactly where your file sits.¹

Don’t confuse it with your passport book number. That one appears only after the passport is issued and printed. The locator number exists purely for tracking the application beforehand.

Where to Find Your Locator Number

If you applied in person at a passport acceptance facility, the receipt handed to you at the end of the appointment carries the locator number. If you applied by mail, look for the confirmation letter or email sent after the State Department received your application. The number appears near the top of any official correspondence about your case.

Here’s the part that surprises people: you don’t need the locator number to check your status. The State Department’s status tool looks you up by name, date of birth, and Social Security number, and once it finds your record it displays the locator number for you. So if the receipt is lost, the status system itself is usually the fastest way to recover the number.²

How to Check Status Online

The Online Passport Status System lives at passportstatus.state.gov. You’ll review a privacy notice first, then enter three pieces of information:²

Last name, spelled exactly as it appears on the application. Include any suffix like Jr. or III. If your name contains a hyphen or apostrophe and the first attempt returns nothing, try it with and without the special character.
Date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format.
The last four digits of your Social Security number.

The system matches your entries against the record exactly, so a small typo can produce a “Not Available” result.¹

A “Not Available” answer doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong. It can reflect routine maintenance, a spelling mismatch, or an application that hasn’t been entered into the system yet. It can take up to two weeks from the day you apply before your status shows as “In Process.”¹

What Each Status Message Means

In Process. Your application is under review. How long it stays here depends on whether you selected routine processing (currently four to six weeks) or expedited service (two to three weeks).
Approved. Review is finished and your passport is being printed.
Passport Mailed. Your passport is on its way to the address on the application. If you applied for a passport book, the tracking number arrives by email at the address you provided.
Supporting Documents Mailed. Your birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or other supporting documents are being returned to you via First Class Mail.
Additional Information Needed. The State Department sent a letter or email requesting more information. Your case is on hold until you respond, and you have 90 days from the date on that letter to reply.
Information Received, In Process Again. What was requested arrived and review has resumed. Processing may run longer than usual because of the hold.¹

If You Can’t Find the Number or Need to Talk to Someone

Because the status system doesn’t require the locator number, you can look up your application (and the number itself) with just your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.²

To speak with someone, call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778. The TTY number for deaf or hard-of-hearing callers is 1-888-874-7793. You can discuss your case using either your locator number or your last name and date of birth. If you’re traveling within 14 days you may need an appointment at a passport agency, and availability is not guaranteed.³

One boundary worth noting: if you filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or another federal agency instead of the State Department, “application locator number” doesn’t apply. Those agencies use their own tracking formats, and you’ll check status through their systems, not passportstatus.state.gov.

Keeping Your Locator Number Safe

The locator number alone won’t unlock your full personal details, but combined with other identifiers like your date of birth or Social Security number it could help someone impersonate you to a government agency. Treat it the way you’d treat any government-issued identifier. Don’t post it on social media, share it in public forums, or send it through unencrypted email. If a travel agent, immigration consultant, or other third party asks for it, be sure you trust them and understand why they need it. Photographing or scanning your receipt on the day you receive it, and storing it somewhere you can find later, saves a lot of trouble.

1
U.S. Department of State. Checking Your Passport Application Status
2
U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Application Status
3
U.S. Department of State. Contact U.S. Passports