The number the Home Office checks. Copy it exactly from your UKVI report into the application; if your report has no URN, it is not a SELT.
Glossary term
URN (Unique Reference Number)
The Unique Reference Number is the identifier issued with a UKVI Secure English Language Test report, including PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home. You enter it on a UK visa or settlement application and the Home Office verifies the result against it directly. Standard PTE reports do not carry a URN, which is the quickest way to tell whether you booked the right version.
Printed on the score report from a UKVI test, in myPTE. Absent from standard PTE Academic and PTE Core reports.
What the URN does
A UK visa application asks for the SELT provider, the test taken and the URN. Caseworkers use the URN to look up the result in the Home Office’s verification systems rather than relying on the uploaded report. A mistyped URN delays the application; a missing one means the test was not a SELT and the evidence is invalid.
The URN is generated only for SELT bookings, because the enhanced identity checks at an approved centre are what the Home Office relies on. That is why the same test booked as standard PTE Academic produces a report without one.
Keeping it right
Download the UKVI report from myPTE as soon as it is published and record the URN separately. Enter it exactly, including any letters, and check it against the report before submitting. If you sit more than one UKVI test, each has its own URN and the application must quote the one from the report you are relying on.
Universities do not need the URN; they verify results through Pearson using an official send or the score report code. The URN is for the Home Office.
The numbers that matter
| Issued with | PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home reports; other providers’ SELT reports |
|---|---|
| Used on | UK visa, settlement and citizenship applications |
| Valid | For the two-year validity of the test result |
| Not issued with | Standard PTE Academic, PTE Core |
| Different from | The score report code used by institutions for verification |
Worked example
A learner sat standard PTE Academic in March and PTE Academic UKVI in June. Both reports are in myPTE. The March report has a score report code and no URN; the June report has both. The Skilled Worker application takes the June URN; the university application, made earlier, was satisfied by an official send of the March report.
What it shows: Each report serves the purpose its booking type allows.
Tasks where it applies
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the URN on my PTE report?
On the score report from a UKVI test in myPTE, alongside the test details. If the report has no URN, the test was booked as standard PTE Academic and is not a SELT.
Does PTE Core have a URN?
No. PTE Core is not a UK Secure English Language Test. UK visa applications need PTE Academic UKVI or PTE Home.
Is the URN the same as the score report code?
No. The score report code is on every PTE report and is used by institutions to verify results through Pearson. The URN is issued only with SELT reports and is used by the Home Office.
More PTE terms
AI ScoringAppropriacyCEFRCLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks)Communicative SkillsCompetent, Proficient and Superior EnglishConcordance (PTE to IELTS)ContentDevelopment, Structure and CoherenceEmail ConventionsEnhanced PTE Academic (August 2025)Erasable NoteboardExpress EntryFormGeneral Linguistic RangeGrammarGSE (Global Scale of English)Human ReviewIntegrated TaskMock TestmyPTENegative MarkingOne Skill RetakeOral FluencyOverall ScorePartial CreditPersonal IntroductionPronunciationPTE CoreReschedule and Cancellation PolicyRescoreScore BandScore ValidityScoring TraitsSending ScoresShared Clock (Reading and Listening)Skills ProfileSpellingThree-Second Silence RuleVocabulary