Lost Your eTravel QR Code? How to Retrieve It (2026)

Lost eTravel QR code: the short answer

You can get it back in about two minutes. Go to etravel.gov.ph/search, enter your reference number and date of birth, and your registration opens with its QR code — screenshot it again and continue your trip. Retrieval is free, because everything about eTravel is free: the official system never asks for payment of any kind. We say that as a paid filing service — our $15 pays for completing and verifying the form for you, never for the registration itself.

The reason this works is simple. The QR code is not the registration. Your record lives in the eTravel system, tied to the passport number you entered. The code is just the visual proof you show at checkpoints, and the system can display it again whenever you need it. Losing the screenshot is like losing a printout of a boarding pass — annoying, not fatal.

Retrieve your eTravel QR code, step by step

You need two pieces of information: the reference number issued when you registered, and your date of birth. Both go on the same search page:

QR code retrieval steps

• 1. Open etravel.gov.ph/search in any browser.
• 2. Enter your reference number — it is in the confirmation email sent when you registered.
• 3. Enter your date of birth and continue.
• 4. Your registration opens, and the QR code displays again.
• 5. Screenshot or download the code, and save the reference number somewhere you can find it without that inbox.
• 6. Email the screenshot to yourself as backup. A lost phone should never mean a lost QR code again.

Lost the reference number too?

Start with the confirmation email. Search your inbox — and the spam folder — for the message the eTravel system sent when you registered; the reference number is in it. Travelers who typed one wrong letter in their email address never receive that message, but the registration still exists in the system.

If you cannot retrieve the record at all before you fly, the practical fallback is to register again inside the 72-hour window and present that one new QR code at every checkpoint — check-in, immigration, customs. This is safe only if you stick to a single code everywhere: the official FAQ warns that presenting different QR codes at different checkpoints causes delays. Never carry two codes and improvise.

The same search page is also the entry point for the Edit Registration tab, so if you spot a typo while you are in there, fix it in the same visit. The full edit flow is covered in our guide to updating your eTravel after submission.

Screenshot, print, or nothing at all

The official FAQ tells travelers to screenshot or download the QR code before closing the browser, and a screenshot on your phone is accepted at every checkpoint. Printing is allowed if you like paper backup, but nobody requires it. What the officer actually does is scan your passport and match it against the records in the system — the QR code just makes that lookup instant.

That is also why the worst row in this table is slow rather than disastrous:

When a lost code actually costs you time

The place a missing QR code bites is check-in, not immigration. Airlines are asked to verify proof of eTravel registration before boarding, and a traveler scrolling through a phone at the desk — or one who cannot find the record at all — is the traveler who risks a boarding call. On arrival the problem is smaller, because the officer can match your passport to the system, but the queue grows behind you either way.

So build the two-minute habit: register one or two days before your flight, screenshot the QR code immediately, email it to yourself, and save the reference number in your notes. The full timing rules are in our complete Philippines eTravel guide, and the registration steps — including where the QR code appears — are in the how to register walkthrough.

Rather never think about this again? We register for you, verify every detail against your passport, and email the QR code within 24 hours — $15 flat, full refund if we fail to deliver. Start my application. Or do it yourself, free, at etravel.gov.ph.

Frequently Asked Questions