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What to do if…
your boarding pass or travel booking shows incorrect personal or document details

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Compare the displayed details with the passport or other travel document you will actually use. Contact the business that issued the booking immediately and ask it to confirm whether the difference must be corrected before check-in or travel.

Do not do these things

  • Do not cancel the booking or buy another ticket before the provider explains the available correction options.
  • Do not assume a shortened name, missing middle name or small spelling difference is harmless.
  • Do not enter details you know are wrong simply to complete online check-in.
  • Do not alter your passport or any other official document.
  • Do not send passport images or personal details through an unofficial email address, message account or social-media page.
  • Do not assume a correction made by a travel agent has reached the operating carrier.
  • Do not leave the issue until the boarding gate when you can raise it earlier.

What to do now

  1. Put the booking confirmation, boarding pass and travel document side by side. Check the passenger name, date of birth, nationality, document number, expiry date and country of issue where those details are shown.

  2. Record exactly what is displayed and what the travel document says. Save screenshots and keep the booking reference, original confirmation and any check-in confirmation.

  3. Contact the seller or provider named on the booking confirmation using contact details from its official website or your genuine confirmation. If you booked through a travel agent, booking website or package organiser, start there and ask whether the operating carrier must also be contacted.

  4. State whether the problem is with the passenger name or with passport information such as the document number, expiry date, nationality or date of birth. Ask whether it can be corrected as passenger information or whether the provider treats it as a ticket amendment.

  5. Give the correct details exactly as they appear on the passport or travel document you will use. If the document was renewed after booking, explain that you now have a different document number and expiry date.

  6. Ask whether online check-in must be cancelled or reset, whether a replacement boarding pass will be issued, whether supporting documents are needed and whether any charge applies.

  7. Ask for written confirmation of the correction or instructions. Note the time of contact and keep copies of messages, receipts and reference numbers.

  8. Reopen the booking after any update and check every passenger separately. Download or print the latest confirmation or boarding pass.

  9. If a visa, eVisa, ETA or other travel authorisation is linked to a passport, check that record separately through the issuing authority’s official service. A booking correction may not update a separate immigration record.

  10. If departure is close or you are already at the airport or terminal, contact the provider immediately and go to its staffed check-in or customer-service desk with the correct travel document. Allow extra time because not every correction can be completed at the terminal.

What can wait

You do not need to decide immediately whether to cancel the trip, replace a valid passport or purchase another ticket unless the provider confirms that the booking cannot be corrected. A complaint about fees or poor service can wait until the immediate travel-document issue is stabilised, provided you keep the relevant records.

Important reassurance

A difference on the screen does not always mean the booking belongs to a different passenger, and some document fields may be handled separately from the ticketed name. The provider still needs to confirm what the difference means for your particular booking.

Scope note

This guide covers immediate steps for checking and reporting incorrect personal or document details. Later decisions about replacement tickets, passports, visas, travel authorisations, insurance, refunds or complaints may require help from the provider, the relevant authority or a specialist adviser.

Important note

This is general information, not legal or professional travel advice. Correction procedures and travel requirements depend on the provider, ticket terms, route, destination, nationality and document being used. Check the official entry and transit requirements for every country involved in the journey.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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