It can be easy to mix up the different numbers on your documentation when you’re filling out visa applications, travel forms, or government documents that ask for a passport book number.
The important thing to remember is that this isn’t the same as your passport number. The passport number identifies your passport for international use. Meanwhile a passport book number—also sometimes called the passport tracking number or passport identification number—is used by the US government for security, tracking, and admin purposes. In fact, while US passports often include a passport book number, some nations don’t use one at all.
At Remitly, we want to make travel easier for everyone, and that starts with understanding your travel documents. In this guide, we’ll clearly explain what a passport book number is, how it’s different from a passport number, where to find it, and what to do if your passport doesn’t have one.
What is a passport book number?
Whether it’s called a passport book number, a passport tracking number, or a passport identification number, what we’re talking about is an internal code attached to your passport. It’s how the authorities track and manage physical passport books. And it serves a completely different purpose than your regular passport number.
Difference between a passport book number and a passport number
The passport number is a unique identifier printed on the photo page of your passport. It’s used for international travel, visas, and customs forms. Airlines, border agents, and immigration systems around the world use this number to verify your identity and your travel documents.
Your passport book number, by contrast, is mostly an internal administrative tool for the government. It helps government agencies track physical passport books. It’s like a serial number that makes sure the authorities can keep track of all the passports that have been issued.
Often, this number is printed on the inside back cover of your passport, but it doesn’t have a fixed position and you might find it on another page, separate from your personal data.
Not all countries use a passport book number. Some countries use similar tracking codes, but they’re not always labeled or formatted the same way.
This can cause confusion if you travel to the US and you’re not using a US passport. You may be asked for your passport book number, and not be able to find one because your country doesn’t use them. If that’s the case, your standard passport number is the only identifier you’ll need.
Where to find your passport book number on a US passport
If you do hold a US passport, finding your passport book number is fairly simple when you know where to look. As we said, though, the location of this number may vary depending on the version and issue date of your passport. Here’s how to find it.
1. Open your passport
Passports printed since 2021 carry a page with your photo, personal details, and the alpha-numeric passport number printed in the top right corner. Remember, though, that this isn’t the passport book number.
2. Look inside the back cover.
On some older versions of US passports, you’ll find the passport book number printed on the inside back cover. It may also be on a sticker label attached to one of the pages near the end of the booklet.
3. Check the upper right-hand corner on the second page of the book.
Some passport versions have the number here under the United States of America title.
4. Compare your passport number and your passport book number carefully.
Sometimes these numbers are the same, and sometimes they’re not. That means you need to check it carefully and make sure that you’re entering the right number on any forms that ask you for it.
In general, the US passport book number is used for internal record-keeping. That means you don’t normally use it for travel. Instead, it’s useful when you need to get a new passport or for some government paperwork that specifically requests it.
What if my passport doesn’t have a book number?
If you can’t find a passport book number, don’t worry. Lots of countries don’t use this system. The passport book number isn’t a global standard. It’s an optional feature used by certain governments for internal record-keeping.
For example, Canadian passports have the passport book number perforated on every page of the passport, and it’s different from the passport number. Chinese passports also have passport book numbers. Meanwhile, most European passports don’t use passport book numbers, although some versions do.
What about forms and applications?
Most of the time, when you’re completing online forms and applications that request a passport book number, you can leave the field blank if you don’t have one. Some forms include a box you can check to say Does Not Apply or N/A.
If you can’t leave this field blank and can’t find a Do Not Apply or N/A field, double-check the instructions on the form to see if you can use your regular passport number instead.
Often, these documents are very specific, so if you’re uncertain, it’s always a good idea to contact the organization that’s requesting the information. Reaching out to the embassy, airline, or visa processing center that wants the number can help you clarify what to do if you don’t have a passport book number.
Common situations when you need your passport book number
Remember, you usually don’t need your passport book number at the airport. Most countries use the standard passport number to track visitors.
However, there are some situations where your passport book number may be requested. Understanding when it appears can help you avoid confusion and delays.
1. Travel authorization applications
When you’re applying for electronic travel authorizations like the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), you may be asked for your passport book number. This is to help authorities verify the physical document used for your application, and it’s especially important if you have multiple passports or renewals.
2. Visa applications for certain countries
Some visa application forms request both a passport number and a passport book number. One of the most common examples is the US DS160 visa form, which is used for all non-immigrant visa categories in the United States.
This form asks for your passport book number, but if you don’t have one, you can select Does Not Apply.
3. International money transfer verification
Some banks and remittance services might ask you for a passport identification number or passport book number as part of their anti-fraud verification processes. It’s unlikely to be necessary, and usually these systems will have an option to indicate that you don’t have a book number. But again, you never know and it might come up.
4. Immigration and customs forms
Sometimes, immigration systems use both the passport number and the passport book number to verify your travel documents and prevent errors.
Ultimately, while the passport book number isn’t usually required, it might pop up from time to time. That’s why it’s important to know the difference and how to find your passport book number in case you ever need it.
Passport book number vs. passport card number
Of course, not everyone has a passport book. In the US, a passport card is also valid for travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Passport book versus passport card
The passport book is the traditional booklet used for international air, land, and sea travel. It contains your photo, personal data, passport number, and in some cases, a passport book number or passport tracking number. It also contains lots of blank pages that are intended for visas and entry stamps in the countries you travel to.
A passport card is a wallet-sized ID card that contains your photo and personal data, just like a passport does. However, it doesn’t have any blank pages for visas, which is why it can’t be used for travel outside of Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and some Caribbean countries.
In most cases the passport card is used by US citizens who cross the border in a vehicle into either Canada or Mexico. It’s OK for domestic flights, but you can’t fly internationally with it.
On the other hand, it’s cheaper than a traditional passport and may be all you need for North American road travel.
Because a passport card isn’t a booklet, it doesn’t have a passport book number.
Finding and using your passport book number
If you’re going to be asked for it at all, most of the time you’ll be asked for your passport book number when applying for a US visa or renewing a US passport. If you’re applying for a US visa, by definition you don’t have a US passport. In that case you need to know if the country that issued your passport uses passport book numbers or not. If it doesn’t, most of the time, you can simply say you don’t have that number in your application.
In a US passport, your passport book number might be on the data page, on the passport’s second page, or on the back cover. It might be the same as your passport number, but it might not be, so make sure you record it carefully.
It might seem like a small thing, but these bureaucratic rules are intended to keep track of important identity documents. Knowing the difference between your passport number and your passport book number makes it easier to fill out visa applications and passport renewals and avoid delays.
FAQs
Is the passport book number the same as the passport number?
No, a passport book number isn’t the same as a passport number. Passport numbers are used internationally to verify your identity. The passport book number is only used by some countries, such as the US, to identify the specific passport booklet you’re using.
What should I do if I can’t find my passport book number?
- Double-check the personal information page.
- Check the inside back cover.
- Check for a printed label or barcode.
Remember, not all passports have a passport book number, so if you can’t find one, it might be because you don’t have one.
Do I need a passport book number to travel?
No, you can travel without one. Passport book numbers are mostly used for internal record-keeping by the US Department of State. Foreign countries usually don’t record this number.
Do all countries require a passport book number?
No. While the US, Canada, Mexico, and China use passport book numbers, lots of other countries, including most of Europe, India, and Japan, don’t use them.
What if my form requires a passport book number, but my passport doesn’t have one?
Many forms that require a passport book number, such as the US DS-160 Visa form, have a box you can tick to say Does Not Apply or N/A. On some other forms, you can enter your regular passport number. If you’re uncertain, it’s always a good idea to check with the authority asking for the form to see what you should do.