Where is the Passport Number in an Indian Passport?

One thing I'd add is to check whether you're looking at the bio-data page rather than the first cover page.

The page containing your photograph and personal details has the passport/document information you need. The passport number is normally labelled clearly there.

If you're looking at an Indian e-passport, you may also see the international machine-readable zone (MRZ) at the bottom. It contains encoded information, but you don't need to decode it just to find your passport number.

If a foreign visa website rejects the number you're entering, check whether it has a specific character limit or asks for “passport/document number.” Different websites can format the field differently.

I would also be careful about sharing a photograph of your passport online just to ask someone to identify the number. Your passport contains personal information. If you're asking on a public forum, it's better to describe the location of the field without posting the full passport details.

For official passport questions, Passport Seva's current instructions are the safest reference because application fields and procedures can change.

I recently renewed my Indian passport, and the passport number on the new passport was different from the one on my old passport.

So if you're completing a form for a current visa or travel document, make sure you're using the number from the current valid passport rather than an older passport.

The passport number is found on the biodata/photo page. Mine is shown as a short alphanumeric code under the passport details.

Don't confuse it with:

• File Number
• Application/ARN number
• Passport Seva appointment details
• Consignment/tracking number

Those numbers can appear in emails or application receipts but aren't the passport number.

Also, if a website asks for the “passport number” and then asks separately for “application number” or “file number,” that is a good indication that they are looking for different numbers.

For a visa application, I'd copy the passport number exactly as it appears rather than removing letters or adding spaces that aren't shown.

The passport number is on the photo/details page, so you shouldn't need to look through the other pages.

On my Indian passport, it is printed near the top of the biodata page next to the label “Passport No.” It is an alphanumeric combination rather than the Passport Seva application number.

The easiest way to avoid confusion is to look specifically for the field labelled Passport No. and copy that exactly as printed, including the letters.

I made the same mistake when completing a visa application because I initially thought the file number was the passport number. They are completely different things.

The file number relates to the passport application, while the passport number identifies the actual passport document.

The MRZ at the bottom of the page contains machine-readable information from the passport, but I wouldn't manually construct the passport number from that line. Just use the value printed in the Passport No. field.

If an online form asks for “passport number,” that's normally the number from the passport itself, not your Passport Seva application reference.

For older Indian passports, especially some issued years ago, the layout may look a little different, but the passport number is still usually displayed prominently on the identification page.

When I completed my surrender certificate application in the UK, I used the passport number from the photo page and not any file number, reference number, or booklet number.

If you're using the passport for OCI or renunciation-related paperwork, double-check the number against any previous visa records or surrender documents if available.

I renewed my Indian passport in Canada a few years ago and noticed that newer passports make it fairly easy to identify.

The passport number is generally located on the biodata page (the page with your photograph and personal information). It's clearly labeled as "Passport No." or "Passport Number."

I initially thought the booklet serial number on the back cover was the passport number, but it wasn't. When in doubt, use the number specifically identified as the passport number on the personal details page.