How to Find Your Passport Number

Being able to quickly find a passport number can save you a lot of time and hassle when you’re booking travel — particularly as you may be asked to input your number when booking an international flight.

If you’re wondering how to find your passport number, we’ve got you covered with a few ways you can look it up.

How to find a passport number on your passport

If you have your passport handy, you can find your passport number on the top right side of the page that features your picture. In the example below, the number is within the red box.

While this is the easiest way to find your passport number, you may not always be near your physical passport — or maybe you’ve lost it. Since you may need your number when you don’t have access to your passport, below we dive into some other ways to find it.

» Learn more: Why (and how) to renew your passport now, even if you’re not traveling soon

Check your number online

The only way to look up your passport number online is if you’ve saved it on a website or with a travel company, like an airline.

For example, say you fly frequently on Delta Air Lines. You can save your number in your Delta profile and then easily do a U.S. passport number lookup either on Delta’s website or on the app. Below is how you can find your number in just three steps using Delta’s app:

1. Open the Delta app and select “Profile” at the top.

2. Scroll down until you find “International Travel Info” and click on “Passport Info.” The app will show the last four digits of your passport number, country of issue and expiration day and year.

3. Click on this section to show your full number and other relevant passport information. If you keep scrolling down, you’ll also find your passport expiration date and country of issue.

Even if you don’t fly Delta often, it can be worthwhile to enter your passport information on Delta’s app so your passport number is easily accessible when you need it.

» Learn more: Need a passport for a trip? Give yourself a big time cushion

Request your passport number from the State Department

If you need your passport number and don’t have access to your passport — and you haven’t saved the number elsewhere — you can request it from the U.S. State Department.

To get your passport number this way, you’ll need to send a letter to:

U.S. Department of State

Office of Law Enforcement Liaison

44132 Mercure Cir

P.O. Box 1227

Sterling, VA 20166

In the letter, you’ll need to include the following information:

• Full name at birth, including any subsequent name changes (if applicable).

• Date and place of birth. 

• Mailing address, phone number and email address.

• The date or estimated date your passport was issued, as well as any other information that might help locate your records.

• A copy of your driver’s license or other valid government-issued ID.

You can find all the requirements on the State Department’s website. Note that it takes approximately 12 to 16 weeks to process your request.

Given how complicated and long the process is to get your passport number through the State Department, we recommend using this method only as a last resort.

» Learn more: REAL ID — what travelers need to know

How to look up passport numbers recapped

If you’re wondering, “How to find my passport number?” you have a couple of options. These include looking at the picture page of your passport, accessing the websites or apps where it might be stored or contacting the State Department.

Once you get a new passport, we recommend taking a picture of the photo page and emailing it to yourself so you can easily access your passport number when you need it.