What Is a U.S. Passport Book Number and Where to Find It

A U.S. passport book number does not exist. U.S. passports carry only one document-identifying number, printed on the data page and labeled “Passport No.” If a visa application or travel form asks for a passport book number, that field does not apply to you as a U.S. passport holder, and the correct entry is “Does Not Apply.”

What a Passport Book Number Is

A passport book number is an inventory control number that some countries print inside their passports as a second identifier, separate from the main passport number. It helps those governments track the physical booklet through manufacturing and distribution. The U.S. State Department describes it as “commonly called the inventory control number” and notes that “you may or may not have a Passport Book Number on your passport,” depending on which country issued it.¹

Some countries use one. The United States does not. No second number is printed anywhere in a U.S. passport.

Why the Question Keeps Coming Up

The DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application is the main reason people go looking for this term. The form includes a field labeled “Passport Book Number,” and U.S. applicants naturally flip through the booklet trying to find a number they will never locate. The State Department’s own DS-160 FAQ acknowledges that the number’s location “may vary depending on the country that issued your passport” and advises contacting your passport-issuing authority if you cannot determine whether your passport has one.¹

For a U.S. passport holder, the answer is straightforward. Select the “Does Not Apply” checkbox next to the passport book number field and move on. Do not enter your regular passport number there; the form already has a separate field for that, and putting the same number in both places creates a mismatch in government records that can slow down visa processing.¹

Passport Number vs. Passport Book Number

The two terms sound almost identical, which is the heart of the confusion.

The passport number is the main document number every passport carries. On a U.S. passport, it is labeled “Passport No.” on the data page. Every passport has one.
The passport book number is a secondary inventory control number that only some countries add. It tracks the physical booklet inside that country’s production system. U.S. passports do not have one.

When a form asks for a passport number, use the number from your data page. When a form separately asks for a passport book number, mark it not applicable.

Where Your U.S. Passport Number Is Printed

Open your passport to the page with your photograph and personal details. The passport number sits in the upper right corner of that page, labeled “Passport No.”²

If your passport was issued before 2021, the number is nine digits, all numerical. Passports issued since 2021 use the Next Generation format, which begins with a letter followed by eight numbers.²

As a security feature, the same passport number is laser-perforated through the bottom of every interior page. If someone tampered with the booklet, the perforated number on the inside pages would no longer match the data page. When you renew or replace your passport, the new booklet carries an entirely new passport number.³

A Note on the U.S. Passport Card

The U.S. passport card is a separate document with its own number, printed on the back of the card and embedded in the machine-readable zone along the bottom edge. That card number is not a passport book number, and the two cannot substitute for each other on applications or at border crossings. Passport cards are valid only for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, so if you are filling out the DS-160, you are almost certainly working from the full passport book rather than the card.

If You Are Still Unsure

Look at your data page. If the only number you see is the one labeled “Passport No.,” your passport has no book number, and the field on the form does not apply. Select “Does Not Apply” if the option is offered. The State Department’s standing advice on ambiguous cases is to contact your passport-issuing authority directly.¹

1
U.S. Department of State. DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions
2
U.S. Department of State. Information about the Next Generation U.S. Passport
3
U.S. Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions about Passport Services