PBS Passport

Frequently asked questions

PBS Passport is one of many member benefits from participating PBS stations that gives eligible donors and supporters extended access to an on-demand library of quality public television programming online. The PBS Passport library features episodes from popular programs, including American Experience, American Masters, Antiques Roadshow, Nature, NOVA, and Masterpiece. In addition to these signature series, the library is full of public television’s acclaimed arts, science, history, and lifestyle programs; including Austin City Limits and a rotating selection of films from Ken Burns. 

Local stations make Passport available as a member benefit to qualified donors. Each PBS station can set their own qualifications for their members to receive the PBS Passport benefit, and most stations offer this benefit to members who donate at least $60 a year, or $5 sustaining monthly gifts. For the most accurate information, please contact your local station or visit their website.

If you are interested in supporting your local PBS station and streaming more PBS content, or are already a contributor to your local station, please contact your PBS station and ask about their eligibility requirements and membership activation.

If you have additional questions about your station’s Passport benefit, please check the list of related questions below or use the search bar above to find additional answers on our PBS Help site


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PBS Passport is an added benefit available to eligible donors of participating PBS stations (i.e. you must make a donation to your station to receive this benefit). Typically, the PBS Passport member benefit requires a station donation of at least $60 a year, or $5 Sustainer/Ongoing-monthly gifts. Keep in mind that this donation requirement may vary from station to station.

Please refer to your station’s website for service eligibility requirements. Find contact information for your local PBS station by clicking here to access the PBS Station Finder.


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The Passport benefit is eligible for donors who meet their local station's requirement for the benefit. Most stations offer the benefit to donors who donate at least $5 per month or $60 per year, however each station can adjust this amount.

If you're currently a donor, you can try using the Passport Lookup Tool to see if you have a benefit waiting to be activated. You'll need to submit an email address previously provided to your local PBS station, and if you have a Passport benefit with your membership, you'll receive an email with more information. 

If you do not receive an email from the Passport Lookup Tool or want to check on your eligibility, please contact your local station directly.




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You can view Passport videos just by signing in to PBS.org and local station sites from your computer, smartphone, and tablet. 

Currently, PBS Passport content is available on the following devices:

This list will continue to expand to new platforms and additional devices over time. 


If you are using Passport on a desktop computer or laptop, the following browsers are supported. We recommend ensuring that your browser is running the latest version available:


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Yes. PBS Passport is a new member benefit from participating PBS stations and, in order to take advantage of it, you must identify your local PBS station. 

You can select any PBS station in the country or find the station that is closest to where you live.  Use the PBS Station Finder to select your local PBS station or a station on your choosing.

Keep in mind that the station to which you donate when signing up for the PBS Passport member benefit is the same station you need to select on PBS.org or the PBS app when you want to view Passport content. For example, if you donate to KQED, please check that you are localized to KQED on the PBS.org and the PBS app.

Learn how to change your station on PBS.org

If you are using the PBS app on a streaming device, you can change your local station through the Profile or Settings menu within the PBS app. Click the device name below to be taken to a guide for that specific device:



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After you make a donation to your local station, your activation code will be emailed to you within two business days. Memberships are retained at a local level. Time frames may vary depending on how your station handles their donations and memberships. While most PBS stations provide instant access through email or their website, some do not. Please do not be alarmed if your station does not instantly provide an activation code via email or their website. Your station will send you that information as soon as they can.

Please be aware that if you receive a confirmation email from your station stating that your donation has been received, this is not your activation email. Your activation code will be delivered to you in a separate email. 

If two business days have passed without you receiving an activation email or code, we recommend checking with the Passport Member Lookup Tool to see if your Passport account is ready to be activated. 

If no information is available, you will need to contact your local PBS station by phone or email. You can find contact information for your local PBS station by visiting this link.

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We understand that issues of privacy and data sharing are extremely important. As a not-for-profit institution, our goal is to collect only the information that enables PBS and your local station to provide the best online experience possible.  

PBS is committed to protecting users’ privacy. Our policies and procedures can be reviewed in more detail on our web site. Click here to read more about our privacy policy.

PBS Passport is currently available only to a station’s eligible donors who authorize PBS and their local station to share viewing data with each other and their authorized service provider, which is necessary for the delivery of this service. If you do not authorize the sharing of this viewing information, we cannot initiate access to this member benefit. 

This agreement must be renewed every two years for continued access to the PBS Passport membership benefit. When it is time to renew your agreement, the next time you log in with your Passport-enabled account you will be greeted with a prompt asking you to accept the terms and conditions you have previously agreed to. 

  • If you accept the terms and conditions, you will be taken to the PBS.org home page where you can continue to watch your favorite programming. 
  • If you decline the terms and conditions, you will be signed out of your Passport-enabled account, and on your next login you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions or decline. Selecting the decline option does not automatically cancel your Passport membership benefit. To cancel, please see below.

If you wish to opt out of Passport and no longer donate to your PBS station, please call or email your local station to cancel any ongoing or future donations. Station contact information can be found at our Station Lookup Tool, or by visiting your local station's website. Click here to find your station's contact information.

We hope you will continue to watch and enjoy programming on your local station.


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Before you can use your new Passport membership benefit, you must first activate your benefit.

Once your benefit is ready for activation, your PBS station will send you a four-word activation code or an activation link. These codes are unique for each member, but each will follow the same format, such as apple-house-river-sleep or lion-eagle-snake-badger.

Some PBS stations will provide you with this information immediately following your donation, while other stations will require more time to set up your benefit and will send you your activation information once your benefit is ready.

Haven't received an activation code yet? Try requesting an activation email with our Passport Lookup Tool
We recommend allowing for one business day to give your station time to create your benefit and send you activation instructions. If one business day has passed and you still have not received activation instructions from your PBS station, please contact them directly.

Once you have your unique Passport activation code, please visit our Passport activation page at this link and enter your code. Codes will be auto-capitalized when entered, but are not case-sensitive. 

Select Continue to proceed to the next screen.

Did an error message appear when you tried to submit your activation code or link? Click here for common error messages and what to do if you encounter one.

After entering your code, you will see a screen with the membership name and your local PBS station. On the right, sign in with a PBS, Google, Facebook, or Apple account. Don't have one of these three account options? Select Create a PBS Account beneath the Sign in with PBS Account option. 

If you're unsure if you already have a PBS account, we recommend selecting the "Create a PBS Account" option and signing up for a new PBS account - we'll let you know if you've already created a PBS account with your email address.

The personal account you sign in with on this screen will be the same account you log into from now on at PBS.org and the PBS App when viewing Passport videos. Only this single account will be linked to your Passport benefit.

Once you sign in with your account, you will be prompted to confirm the Passport terms of use. Select the "I agree" checkbox to agree to the terms and then select Confirm at the bottom of the page to continue. Confirmation of the Passport terms of use is required to use the Passport benefit. PBS is committed to protecting users' privacy. For more details, click here to view our privacy policy.

Once you've confirmed the Passport terms of use, the Activation Complete! screen will appear. Select the Get Started button to begin using your Passport benefit.

Once you've activated your Passport benefit, you can watch videos online at any time by visiting PBS.org. There is no separate Passport website. Passport and non-Passport videos can be found in one place!

Because the Passport benefit is a one-time activation, you will not need your activation code in the future. All you need to access Passport is the email address and personal password of your login account you signed into earlier in the activation process.

Below are additional links with instructions on how to sign in to your Passport account on our apps on supported streaming devices:


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To confirm you have activated your Passport account, go to PBS.org and sign in using the same email address and password you used when you activate Passport. To ensure you see all local Passport content, be sure you have selected your local station. Learn how to select a station.

If Passport is activated properly, you will see a small blue and white compass rose symbol by the initial of your first name in the upper right portion of the screen. When you search through the site, any video bearing that same blue and white compass rose symbol are Passport videos.

If you do not see the blue Passport icon next to your initialname, you have not completed the activation process or you have not signed in with the same email address you used when you activated your Passport member benefit. Try signing in with any other accounts you may have, or use our Passport Lookup Tool to learn more.


If you are viewing Passport on a streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, etc.), please follow the instructions below. If you do NOT have a streaming device, you are done and can now watch Passport shows.

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You must activate Passport in order to watch the video that displays the PBS Passport icon. You can still watch hundreds of hours of quality public television shows on your computer, smartphone and tablet without Passport. 

PBS Passport is simply an additional member benefit that offers eligible station donors extended on-demand access to a library of videos. It is entirely up to you whether or not you wish to activate PBS Passport. You will encounter a message asking if you want to activate PBS Passport every time you come to a video whose streaming rights for non-members have expired. PBS Passport allows eligible members to watch some expired or archival content.

Keep in mind that PBS is not a producer but rather a distributor of programming. Our distribution rights are fairly limited and are sometimes confined to only broadcasting. However, when PBS is allowed streaming rights they are subjected to time limitations, usually of two weeks. Passport allows extended access to many PBS shows.

If you want to learn more about accessing the PBS Passport benefit, contact your local station or read more about it in our Passport FAQs by clicking here.

See the complete list of devices that support Passport



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To see if your PBS Passport membership has been activated, please see our instructions for using the Passport Lookup Tool.

Be sure to use the same email address you used when you signed up for PBS Passport. If your email address is linked to a PBS station membership or benefit, you will receive an email with information about your Passport benefit.

If you do not receive an email, the email address you have entered into the lookup tool is not linked to a membership or benefit. Please try submitting an alternative email address into the lookup tool, or contact your PBS station to inquire about your membership and benefit.

For security reasons, only your local PBS station can provide the full information on your membership and billing.



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Passport is a member benefit given to those who have donated a specific amount to their local station; it is not a site separate from PBS.org. The steps below illustrate how to sign in after you have already activated your Passport member benefit. 

  • To sign into the site, please go to PBS.org and click Sign In located in the upper right-hand side of the website.
  • If you do not see a Sign In option, then you may see three lines on the right-hand side. Select the three lines to open the menu and select Sign In.
  • Sign in with the same Google, Facebook, Apple, or PBS Account that you used when you activated Passport. If you use a different email address, your sign in will not work and you will not be able to view Passport videos. Check your email address here.
  • After signing in, you'll see that all PBS Passport content is designated by the Passport icon. All videos displaying that icon are designated as PBS Passport content. The icon appears next to your initial when you are logged in to the site, as well as next to any video that is designated as a Passport video. The PBS.org website contains both Passport and non-Passport content.

If you do not see the blue Passport icon next to your initial, you either have not completed the activation process or you have not signed in with the same email address you used when you activated your Passport member benefit. Think of any other email addresses you may have used and try signing in with those until you see the blue Passport icon next to your initial. You can also use our Passport Lookup Tool to see which email you should use to sign in.




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After activating your PBS Passport account, you can view PBS Passport content on compatible smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and streaming devices. To learn more about how to stream Passport and what devices the PBS app is supported on, click here. 

If you are using a computer, please go to PBS.org and sign in with your Passport account.

Passport videos are marked with the blue-and-white compass rose icon. You will see this icon on episodes or specials of programs.



Click here to learn how to search for Passport videos only




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How to Search By Keyword

To search by keyboard, click the magnifying glass icon in the upper right side of the website and type your search criteria into the textbox provided. When finished, click the magnifying glass icon to the right of your text or tap Enter on your keyboard.

How to Browse for a Video

You can browse Shows to see a selection of different programs. Select the Shows option at the top left of the website. you can then enter the title of the program into the Search By Show Title box or use the Filters, such as Genre, only the left side of the website to browse a particular category.



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Yes.  you can view a list of Passport only programs by using the filters options at PBS.org/shows. 



Select the Shows option at the top left of the PBS.org website or go to PBS.org/shows

A list of filters will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. Select the Featured Passport Shows option to narrow the results to only Passport shows.


Your search results will update to only show Passport videos.


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The PBS Passport library currently offers members more than 1,000 episodes from popular shows like American Experience, American Masters, Antiques Roadshow, Nature, NOVA, and Masterpiece. In addition to these signature series, the library is full of public television’s acclaimed arts, science, history, and lifestyle programs; including Great Performances, Austin City Limits, and a rotating selection of films from Ken Burns. More shows are being added all the time.

If you are interested in seeing if a specific show is available for online streaming, try using our site's search feature to to find results for a specific title or term.

Available Passport videos can be found in the Episodes or Specials section of select shows. 

Some shows may only offer shorter clips and previews instead of episodes. Learn more about our streaming rights here.

Passport videos are designated by a blue "compass rose" icon as shown in the image below:


Not a PBS Passport member? Click here to learn more about PBS Passport or contact your local station to inquire.

Due to streaming rights and legal issues, PBS is unable to distribute a list of Passport shows.


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If you did not receive an activation code or activation link via an email, please contact your local station

Be aware that you may be already activated. To confirm that you have activated your Passport account, go to PBS.org and sign in to the site with the same email address you used when you activated your account. If Passport is activated, you will see a small blue and white compass rose symbol next to your initial in the upper right corner of the website. As you search or browse the site, any video bearing that same blue and white compass rose symbol is a designated Passport video.

If you do not see the blue Passport icon () next to your initial, you have not completed the activation process or you have not signed in with the same email address you used when you activated your Passport member benefit. You can use the Passport Lookup Tool to see determine which account you used when you activated your Passport.



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If you've already made a donation but have not received an activation code, please review the following:

  • Your local PBS station is still processing your donation. Most stations send a Passport activation email within a few minutes of submitting your donation, but if your donation takes longer to process you may not receive this email right away.
  • The email arrived in your spam folder or you used a different contact email address when submitting your donation. Please check your inbox's spam/junk folder, or any other email inboxes you may own.
  • You did not include a contact email when submitting your donation. If you also didn't receive an email receipt of your donation from your station, please contact your local station directly.
  • You previously activated your Passport benefit. Check your benefit's status here by entering your contact email and submitting.

To confirm that you have activated your Passport account, go to PBS.org and sign in as you did during activation. If your Passport is activated properly, you will see a small blue and white compass rose symbol by your name in the upper left portion of the screen. When you search through the site, any video bearing that same blue and white compass rose symbol are videos available to Passport members.

If you do not see the blue Passport icon next to your name, you have not completed the activation process or you have not signed in with the same email address you used when you activated your Passport member benefit. Think of any other email addresses you may have used and try signing in with those until you see the blue Passport icon next to your name. If you are still having trouble, email support.



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If your Passport is activated properly, you will see a small blue and white "compass rose" icon by your name in the upper left portion of the screen. 


If this icon does not appear next to your name and your Passport benefit is not being recognized, please check the below possibilities and suggestions.

In most cases, this problem occurs when you are signed in at PBS.org using a different sign-in account (an email address associated with a Facebook, Google, Apple, or PBS Account) from what you originally activated Passport with. For the quickest resolution, we recommend trying to sign out and sign back in with any other accounts you may have with PBS.

You can also try entering your contact email address for your membership at the Passport Lookup page. This is the email address your station contacts you with and can use to look up your membership. For more information about the Passport Lookup Tool, please see our help page here.


Change the Account Linked to My Passport Benefit

If you've activated your Passport benefit but have multiple PBS accounts, only the PBS account linked to your Passport benefit will grant you access to Passport videos. If your access isn't recognized, you may be signed in with a different account.

If you have accidentally linked your Passport benefit to an old account, or you wish to instead link your Passport benefit to a different account, you can change the account linked to your benefit using our Passport Reset Tool.

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While PBS is pleased to offer online streaming for many popular programs, you may have noticed that some shows and episodes cannot be found on the PBS website and PBS app.

Unfortunately, PBS is not always able to obtain the streaming rights for every program which has aired on PBS, which means we are legally unable to offer full episodes for online streaming at this time. This can include entire shows, specific seasons, or specific episodes of a program.

Any program or piece of television on PBS is a piece of intellectual property (just like a song or a book). With any piece of intellectual property come certain rights and allowances for the creators, distributors, and consumers. Many of these rights include online video viewing stipulations. If a program is not available for viewing on pbs.org, it is because of the specific intellectual property rights associated with that show, and often, these rights vary from show to show.

We must purchase streaming rights separately from television broadcast rights and we are not always able to obtain the streaming rights for every program, so our online content may be more limited than programs airing on your television.

While Passport does allow us to offer more content for online streaming, we are unable to offer every program for online streaming indefinitely due to the aforementioned streaming rights.

For some programs we do offer clips and previews as these are not as restricted as the full episodes and may be of interest to some users.

While these episodes may be unavailable for free online streaming, we recommend visiting the PBS Store or a third party such as iTunes or Amazon Video if you are interested in purchasing episodes of these programs.





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If you are searching for a PBS video but are unable to find it, there are a few possible reasons the video does not appear when searching for it:

  • The video is listed under a different title. Please double-check the search term for any errors.
  • The video has not yet aired on PBS and we are unable to offer it for online streaming until its broadcast premiere.
  • PBS does not have the rights to offer the video for online streaming. For more information, please see below.

More Information on Streaming Rights

While PBS does offer hundreds of videos for online streaming, not every program that airs on your PBS station will be available for streaming. PBS must obtain the streaming rights separately from television broadcast rights for every program. In some cases, we are only able to offer full episodes for online streaming for a limited period of time, and then the episodes must be taken off of our site.

Any program or piece of television on PBS is a piece of intellectual property. With any piece of intellectual property come certain rights and allowances for the creators, distributors, and consumers. Many of these rights include requirements for offering videos for online viewing. If a program is not available for viewing on pbs.org, it is because of the specific streaming rights associated with that show, and often, these rights vary from show to show, and can even vary from season to season for one show.

While Passport does allow us to offer more content for online streaming, we are unable to offer every program for online streaming indefinitely due to the aforementioned streaming rights.

You may encounter a show page where the full episode is unavailable for streaming but clips and previews are still listed. PBS does continue to offer clips and previews for some programs as these are not as restricted as full episodes, and many of our viewers are still interested in viewing these clips and previews.

While these episodes may be unavailable for free online streaming, we recommend visiting the PBS Store or a third party such as iTunes or Amazon Video if you are interested in purchasing episodes of these programs.




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You should have received your Passport activation code or link shortly after becoming a member with your local PBS station. This activation code or link would have been sent to you immediately following your donation, or via email once your station processed your donation.

Activation codes and links for the Passport benefit can only be used once. If you have already used your code or link, you do not need a new one.

If you would like to check on the status of your benefit or request an activation link, please use our Passport Lookup Tool

On the Lookup Tool, enter the email address you provided your local PBS station with when you became a member. If your PBS station has that email address on record and has a Passport benefit available for your membership, you'll receive an email response with an activation link and other information about your Passport benefit.

If you do not receive an email, the provided email is not listed on a membership with any PBS station. Please try entering an alternative email address in the Lookup Tool, or contact your PBS station to inquire about your membership and benefits.




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Passport is a membership benefit provided by your local station. For security purposes, only your station has access to your membership information and billing.

Because memberships are retained at a local level, you must email or call your local station in order to cancel your Passport membership benefit. Most stations have a way to update your information or contact them at their website, so we suggest looking at your local station's website for more information. You can also use the below link to find contact information for your station to email or call them with.

Find your local station's contact information.

If your station sent you an email confirmation thanking you for your gift, this email also should have had information on how to contact your station.



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