A PNR, short for passenger name record, is the airline's record of your flight booking: names, flights, contact and ticketing details. You open it with a code, usually 6 letters and numbers, called the record locator or booking reference. It sits near the top of your itinerary or confirmation email, and you enter it with your surname on the airline's Manage booking page.
- A PNR is the airline's record of a booking. The record locator is the code, usually 6 characters, that opens it.
- PNR data can include your itinerary, contact details, payment information, seat and baggage details.
- The code and your surname are usually enough to open the booking online, so keep the code out of public posts.
- A flight PNR is checked on the airline's website. An Indian Railways PNR is checked on the railway's own enquiry page.
- A PNR exists as soon as a booking is saved. It does not mean a fare has been paid.
On this page
A PNR, short for passenger name record, is the airline's record of your flight booking. You open it with a short code, usually six letters and numbers, printed near the top of your itinerary or confirmation email as "Booking reference" or "PNR". Type that code and your surname into the airline's Manage booking page and the booking comes up. When a visa checklist asks for your PNR, this is the code it means.
A flight PNR has nothing to do with the PNR on an Indian Railways ticket; the difference is explained further down. If you already hold a dummy ticket with a live PNR and only want to test it, the PNR check steps have their own page.
What is a PNR in a flight ticket?
A PNR in a flight ticket is the booking record held in a reservation system for one passenger, or for a group travelling together. The European Commission describes PNR data as information from passengers that is "collected by and held in the air carriers' reservation and departure control systems" (European Commission: Passenger Name Record).
Every booking gets a PNR the moment it is saved, before anyone pays. A paid ticket and a dummy ticket both start as a PNR. The difference comes afterwards: a paid booking has a ticket number added to it, and an unpaid one carries a deadline for payment instead.
People use "PNR", "booking reference" and "record locator" for the same short code, and each airline prints whichever label it prefers. Strictly, the PNR is the record and the record locator is the code that opens it. When a form asks for your PNR, give the code.
What information a PNR holds
A PNR holds your name, your flights and the details the airline needs to manage the booking and collect payment. The table lists what the European Commission says PNR data can include, plus the ticketing element that every booking must carry.
| Item | What it contains | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger names | Each traveller's name as booked | Should match your passport exactly, because an officer compares the two |
| Itinerary | Flights, dates and route for you, or for everyone booked together | This is what a visa officer reads against your cover letter and hotel dates |
| Contact details | The booking agent's or airline office's contact, and often your phone number or address | Lets the airline reach whoever made the booking about changes |
| Ticketing element | Either a ticket number or a deadline for issuing one | Shows whether a fare has been paid |
| Payment information | How the fare was paid, once it has been paid | One more reason to keep strangers out of your booking |
| Seat and baggage | Seat numbers and baggage details, if they have been added | Appears only when seats or bags are part of the booking |
For a visa file, the ticketing element is the line to understand. A booking made without payment carries a ticketing deadline, and the airline can cancel it if no ticket is issued by then. So a PNR proves that a booking exists, not that a fare has been paid. The full comparison is in PNR vs e-ticket number.
Record locator: the code you type in
The record locator is the short code that identifies your PNR. It is usually six characters, mixing letters and numbers, though some reservation systems use seven or eight. It normally stays the same when the booking is changed, so a new seat or a new date does not give you a new code.
One booking can carry two codes. When a travel agent books through one reservation system and the airline runs another, the airline's system creates its own record with its own locator. The code on the agent's confirmation may then fail on the airline's website while the airline's code works. If a code will not open the booking, ask whoever made it for the airline's own record locator.
Some reservation systems also run public lookup sites. The guide to CheckMyTrip and ViewTrip explains when those help.
Where to find the PNR on your ticket or itinerary
The PNR is printed near the top of whatever the airline or agent sent you, usually beside the passenger name.
Look at the top of the itinerary or e-ticket
Look for a label such as "Booking reference", "PNR" or "Booking code" near the passenger name and first flight.
Check the confirmation email
Airlines usually repeat the code in the subject line or the opening lines of the booking confirmation.
Check the reservation PDF for your visa file
A flight reservation for a visa application shows the code on the same page as the route and dates. A sample dummy ticket shows where it sits.
Open it on the airline's website
Enter the code and the surname on the airline's Manage booking page. Say your itinerary shows "Booking reference: 7QX4LM" for a passenger called Priya Sharma: you type 7QX4LM and Sharma, spelled as booked.
Need the reservation for your visa file?
A flight reservation with a PNR you can check on the airline website. US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger, delivered in 10–20 minutes.
Who can see your PNR
Anyone who has your record locator and your surname can usually open the booking on the airline's website. No password is needed, which is how you, your travel agent and the airline's staff can all pull up the same record. It also means a stranger with those two details can see your name, route and travel dates, and whatever else the airline shows in Manage booking.
Governments can see PNR data too. The European Commission lists PNR data as including your travel dates and full itinerary, contact details "like address and phone number", "payment information, seat number and baggage information". Its page explains that under EU rules this data can be shared with national authorities, Europol and the passenger information units of other EU countries.
So a PNR is personal information, not a public code. Give it to the people who need it for your trip or your visa file, and to nobody else.
Why you should not post your PNR online
Keep the booking reference out of anything public. A photo of a boarding pass or itinerary posted on social media, in a travel forum or in a large group chat can show both the code and your surname, which is all someone needs to open the booking.
Before you post a travel photo, crop or blur the booking reference. When you send your file to a visa centre, consulate or employer, send the PDF directly rather than a public link. The same care applies to the passport details you give when booking; sharing passport details for a reservation explains what is asked for and why.
Zoom in on any boarding pass or itinerary photo before it goes anywhere public. If the booking reference and your surname can both be read, so can your booking.
Flight PNR vs Indian Railways PNR
A flight PNR and an Indian Railways PNR share a name and nothing else. Indian Railways prints its PNR on the top left corner of the train ticket, and you check it on the railway's own enquiry page (Indian Railways: PNR enquiry). An airline website will not recognise a railway PNR, and the railway site will not recognise a flight code.
| Question | Flight PNR | Indian Railways PNR |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is printed | Near the top of the itinerary, e-ticket or confirmation email | Top left corner of the train ticket |
| Where you check it | The airline's Manage booking page, with your surname | The Indian Railways PNR enquiry page |
| What it opens | Your flight booking | The status of your train booking |
| Part of a visa file | Yes, as part of the flight itinerary | No |
When a consulate or checklist asks for a flight itinerary, it wants the flight code. A train journey inside India, such as the trip to the city where your VFS appointment is, is not part of that request.
The PNR on a dummy ticket for visa
A flight reservation from Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) is a booking held in the airline's reservation system without paying the fare. It has a real PNR that you can check yourself in the airline's Manage booking section while the hold is live, though what the page displays varies by airline. It has no e-ticket number, because no ticket has been issued, and it cannot be used to board.
How long the hold lasts is set by the airline, and a hold can be released earlier than you expect. That is why we suggest receiving the reservation one day before you need it and checking the PNR on the airline's website before you submit your file. The DTV key facts page sets out what we do and do not promise. If the code does not open, PNR not showing on the airline website lists the usual causes. A reservation costs US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger on the booking page, and the glossary explains the other terms you will meet.
Before you submit your file
- Find the record locator, usually six characters, on your itinerary or reservation PDF.
- Open it on the airline's Manage booking page with the surname spelled exactly as booked.
- Check that every name in the booking matches the passport letter for letter.
- If the code will not open, ask for the airline's own record locator rather than the agent's.
- Check it again the day before you submit, not only on the day you received it.
- Keep the code out of any photo or post you make public.
Frequently asked questions
Is a PNR the same as a booking reference?
In everyday use, yes. Airlines, travel agents and visa checklists use "PNR", "booking reference" and "record locator" for the same short code that opens your booking. Strictly, the PNR is the record inside the reservation system and the locator is its code. If the agent's code and the airline's code differ, use the airline's code on the airline's website.
How many characters does a flight PNR have?
Usually six, mixing letters and numbers, such as a code like 7QX4LM. Some reservation systems use seven or eight characters. The code normally stays the same when the booking is changed, so a new seat or date does not give you a new one. An Indian Railways PNR is a separate railway number and has nothing to do with this code.
Can two passengers have the same PNR?
Yes, when they are booked together in one reservation. A PNR holds the itinerary of one passenger or a group travelling together, and one PNR has one record locator, so a family booked together shares one code with each name listed inside it. Passengers booked separately get separate codes, even when they are on the same flight.
Does a PNR mean my ticket is paid?
No. A PNR exists as soon as a booking is saved, whether or not anyone has paid. A ticket is issued only when the fare is paid or miles are redeemed, and it carries its own 13-digit e-ticket number. See PNR vs e-ticket number for how to tell which one you are holding.
Why is my PNR not showing on the airline website?
The usual causes are a typing error, a surname entered differently from the booking, a code from the agent's system rather than the airline's, or a hold the airline has already released. What the page shows also varies by airline. PNR not showing on the airline website walks through each cause and what to do about it.
This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Visa rules change and consulates apply them differently, so confirm the current requirements with the embassy, consulate or official visa application centre before you apply.