Where to Find Your Passport Number: Book, Card, and Renewals

Your U.S. passport number sits in the upper right corner of the data page — the page with your photo, name, and date of birth. If your book was issued in 2021 or later, the same number is also laser-engraved along the bottom of every interior page, so any page you flip to will show it.¹

On the Passport Book

Open the book to the data page. The number is printed in the top right, above your photo and personal information. Next Generation Passport (NGP) books, issued since 2021, repeat that number in laser engraving at the bottom edge of each visa page, which is useful when the data page is worn or hard to read.¹

U.S. passport numbers are nine characters. Older books use nine digits. NGP books use one letter followed by eight digits. Both formats are valid, and an older all-numeric book stays good through its printed expiration date.¹

On the Passport Card

A U.S. passport card carries its own nine-character number, separate from any book you hold. The card number appears twice on the back: once next to the Great Seal eagle in a raised, tactile print, and once in the machine-readable zone along the bottom edge.²

One thing to keep straight: the card and the book do different jobs. The card is only valid for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and it can’t be used for international air travel. When a form or an airline asks for your “passport number,” they almost always want the number from your passport book.

The Number Changes Each Time You Renew

Every new book or card is issued with a new number. Your renewed passport will not carry the number your old one had. If your previous passport holds a still-valid foreign visa, travel with both books so border officers can match the visa to your current document.³

The same applies to a second passport book, a four-year limited-validity book the State Department issues to travelers who need to submit one passport for a visa while continuing to travel on another. It has its own unique number, and any Trusted Traveler account you hold should be updated whenever that number changes.⁴

If You Don’t Have the Passport in Front of You

Several other places may already have the number stored.

Photocopies or scans you made of the data page before traveling.
Prior application forms — DS-11 for new applications and DS-82 for renewals both ask for your most recent passport number.
Travel bookings. Airlines, hotels, and travel insurers often store the number after you enter it. Check confirmation emails or your profile in the booking site.
The CBP Mobile Passport Control app, which saves your passport information after the first scan for later use.⁵
Your Trusted Traveler Program account. Global Entry members can log in and view saved passport information under the documents section.⁶
Employer Form I-9 records, if you used your passport as identification. Employers who use E-Verify are required to keep copies of U.S. passports presented for verification.⁷

The State Department does not run an online portal where you can look up your own passport number. If nothing above works, the next step is a written records request.

Requesting Your Passport Records

The State Department has kept records of every U.S. passport issued since March 1925. Mail a written request to:

U.S. Department of State
Office of Records Management
Records Review and Release Division
44132 Mercure Cir
P.O. Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166⁸

Your request needs to include:

Your full name, including your name at birth and any other names you’ve used.
Your date and place of birth.
A mailing address, phone number, and email.
The passport’s issue date (or your best estimate) and the number if you know it.
A clear copy of both sides of a valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license.
Either a signature made in front of a notary public or a signed penalty-of-perjury statement.

A standard copy is free. Processing runs 12 to 16 weeks, so this route won’t help for a trip that’s around the corner.⁸

If you’re traveling internationally within 14 days or need a foreign visa within 28 days, skip the records request and contact the State Department directly through their Contact Us page for urgent assistance.

Lost or Stolen Passport Abroad

You do not need to know your passport number to get help overseas. The nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can issue a replacement, and when time is short they can issue an emergency passport valid for up to one year.⁹

You should also file Form DS-64 to formally report the passport as lost or stolen. The form asks for the passport number but notes that you only need to provide it “if known,” so a missing number won’t hold things up.¹⁰ If you can’t prove citizenship at all, consular staff can run a free file search of federal records to help verify your identity.

Protecting the Number Once You Have It

Treat your passport number with the care you’d give a Social Security number. Don’t send it over unsecured email, don’t text it casually, and don’t leave it in an unencrypted note on your phone.

If the passport is lost or stolen, report it to the State Department right away, either online at travel.state.gov or by calling 1-877-487-2778. Reporting invalidates the passport and prevents anyone else from using it. The FTC also recommends placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus as a precaution, and you can report suspected identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.¹¹

1
U.S. Department of State. Information About the Next Generation U.S. Passport
2
Department of State. United States Passport Card – Description
3
U.S. Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions About Passport Services
4
U.S. Department of State. Applying for a Second Passport Book
5
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mobile Passport Control
6
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
7
USCIS. Retaining Copies of Documents Your Employee Presents
8
Travel.State.Gov. Get Copies of Passport Records
9
Travel.State.Gov. Lost or Stolen Passport Abroad
10
U.S. Department of State. DS-64 Statement Regarding a Valid Lost or Stolen US Passport or Card
11
IdentityTheft.gov. When Information Is Lost or Exposed