How to Verify a PNR Code: Complete Guide for Visa Applicants (2026)

A PNR code (Passenger Name Record), also called a booking reference, is how a flight booking or reservation document is looked up. Where you verify it depends on who issued it: an airline booking is checked with the airline, an Amadeus booking can also be checked on CheckMyTrip, and an itinerary document such as an Onward Itinerary reservation is checked with its issuer. This guide explains each method, so you can confirm a document before you submit it with a visa application.

What Is a PNR Code?

A PNR (Passenger Name Record) is a unique 6-character alphanumeric code attached to a booking. When a flight is booked with an airline or through a travel agency’s reservation system (GDS), the PNR lives in that system and holds the passenger name, flight numbers, dates, route and booking status.

A PNR code is also known as a booking reference, confirmation code, or reservation number. When you receive a flight reservation document from Onward Itinerary, it carries a booking reference and a Live QR code. That reference is verified on our portal (onwarditinerary.com/verify). It will not appear on the airline’s “Manage Booking” page, because it is not an airline booking.

Method 1: Onward Itinerary documents — scan the QR code or use /verify

If your reservation document was issued by Onward Itinerary, this is the only method that applies:

1. Scan the QR code on the PDF with any phone camera, or go to onwarditinerary.com/verify.
2. If you use the website, enter the booking reference and the passenger’s surname.
3. The portal shows the passenger name, route, dates and whether the document is still within the validity period chosen at checkout.

Onward Itinerary documents are itinerary documents, not airline tickets or airline-system bookings, so the airline website and CheckMyTrip methods below will not find them.

Method 2 (airline-ticketed / GDS bookings): the airline’s website

For a booking made directly with an airline, or ticketed through a travel agency, the airline’s “Manage Booking” or “My Trips” section is the most direct check:

1. Go to the official website of the airline shown on the booking.
2. Look for “Manage Booking”, “My Trips”, or “Retrieve Booking” — usually in the top navigation.
3. Enter the booking reference and the passenger’s last name.
4. If the booking exists, you will see the flight details.

If the system returns “booking not found”, the booking may have been cancelled or made with a different airline, or it may not be an airline booking at all (for example, an itinerary document, which is verified with its issuer).

Method 3 (Amadeus bookings only): CheckMyTrip

CheckMyTrip (checkmytrip.com) is Amadeus’s traveller app. It can only retrieve trips booked in the Amadeus system, by travel agencies or airlines that use Amadeus. It will not find bookings made in other systems, or references issued by itinerary document services.

1. Go to checkmytrip.com
2. Enter the booking reference (PNR code) and the passenger’s last name
3. View the itinerary, if the booking was made in Amadeus

Method 4: Contact the issuer

If online verification is not working, contact whoever issued the booking: the airline’s customer service for an airline booking, or the issuing service for an itinerary document (for Onward Itinerary, our support team).

What to Look For When Verifying

• Status — an airline booking should show “Confirmed” or “Held”, not “Cancelled”; an itinerary document should show as valid on its issuer’s portal.
• Passenger name — must match your passport exactly.
• Flight details — dates, route, and airline should match the document you are submitting.
• Validity or ticketing deadline — airline holds have a ticketing deadline; itinerary documents have a validity period.

Red Flags: Signs of a Fake or Misleading Document

Be cautious if:

• The document is presented as an airline booking or paid ticket, yet the reference returns no results on that airline’s website
• The booking shows as “Cancelled” immediately
• The reference format looks unusual (PNR codes are 6 characters, letters and numbers only)
• The service cannot tell you where or how the document can be verified

Whatever you submit, it should be exactly what it says it is. Onward Itinerary documents are described as itinerary documents with a QR-verifiable reference — not as airline tickets.

Frequently Asked Questions