diff --git a/src/api2/tape/media.rs b/src/api2/tape/media.rs
index d261585f..c6f6b52e 100644
--- a/src/api2/tape/media.rs
+++ b/src/api2/tape/media.rs
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ pub fn list_content(
             .unwrap_or_else(|_| set.uuid.to_string());
 
         for (store, snapshot) in media_catalog_snapshot_list(status_path, &media_id)? {
-            let backup_dir: pbs_api_types::BackupDir = snapshot.parse()?;
+            let (_, backup_dir) = pbs_api_types::parse_ns_and_snapshot(&snapshot)?;
 
             if let Some(backup_type) = filter.backup_type {
                 if backup_dir.ty() != backup_type {
diff --git a/src/api2/tape/restore.rs b/src/api2/tape/restore.rs
index e73f85b8..bbd3170c 100644
--- a/src/api2/tape/restore.rs
+++ b/src/api2/tape/restore.rs
@@ -1084,7 +1084,8 @@ fn restore_archive<'a>(
                                     Uuid::from(header.uuid),
                                     current_file_number,
                                     &datastore_name,
-                                    &snapshot,
+                                    &backup_ns,
+                                    &backup_dir,
                                 )?;
                                 catalog.commit_if_large()?;
                             }
@@ -1102,7 +1103,8 @@ fn restore_archive<'a>(
                     Uuid::from(header.uuid),
                     current_file_number,
                     &datastore_name,
-                    &snapshot,
+                    &backup_ns,
+                    &backup_dir,
                 )?;
                 catalog.commit_if_large()?;
             }
diff --git a/src/tape/file_formats/snapshot_archive.rs b/src/tape/file_formats/snapshot_archive.rs
index 7085f4b3..e850d0e6 100644
--- a/src/tape/file_formats/snapshot_archive.rs
+++ b/src/tape/file_formats/snapshot_archive.rs
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ pub fn tape_write_snapshot_archive<'a>(
     writer: &mut (dyn TapeWrite + 'a),
     snapshot_reader: &SnapshotReader,
 ) -> Result<Option<Uuid>, std::io::Error> {
-    let snapshot = snapshot_reader.snapshot().to_string();
+    let backup_dir = snapshot_reader.snapshot();
+    let snapshot =
+        pbs_api_types::print_ns_and_snapshot(backup_dir.backup_ns(), backup_dir.as_ref());
     let store = snapshot_reader.datastore_name().to_string();
     let file_list = snapshot_reader.file_list();
 
diff --git a/src/tape/media_catalog.rs b/src/tape/media_catalog.rs
index 2857b0c3..afb5ff0c 100644
--- a/src/tape/media_catalog.rs
+++ b/src/tape/media_catalog.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ use proxmox_io::{ReadExt, WriteExt};
 use proxmox_sys::fs::{create_path, fchown, CreateOptions};
 use proxmox_uuid::Uuid;
 
+use pbs_api_types::{parse_ns_and_snapshot, print_ns_and_snapshot, BackupDir, BackupNamespace};
+
 use crate::tape::{file_formats::MediaSetLabel, MediaId};
 
 pub struct DatastoreContent {
@@ -656,7 +658,7 @@ impl MediaCatalog {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    fn check_register_snapshot(&self, file_number: u64, snapshot: &str) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    fn check_register_snapshot(&self, file_number: u64) -> Result<(), Error> {
         if self.current_archive.is_some() {
             bail!("register_snapshot failed: inside chunk_archive");
         }
@@ -681,14 +683,6 @@ impl MediaCatalog {
             );
         }
 
-        if let Err(err) = snapshot.parse::<pbs_api_types::BackupDir>() {
-            bail!(
-                "register_snapshot failed: unable to parse snapshot '{}' - {}",
-                snapshot,
-                err
-            );
-        }
-
         Ok(())
     }
 
@@ -698,25 +692,22 @@ impl MediaCatalog {
         uuid: Uuid, // Uuid form MediaContentHeader
         file_number: u64,
         store: &str,
-        snapshot: &str,
+        ns: &BackupNamespace,
+        snapshot: &BackupDir,
     ) -> Result<(), Error> {
-        self.check_register_snapshot(file_number, snapshot)?;
+        self.check_register_snapshot(file_number)?;
+
+        let path = print_ns_and_snapshot(ns, snapshot);
 
         let entry = SnapshotEntry {
             file_number,
             uuid: *uuid.as_bytes(),
             store_name_len: u8::try_from(store.len())?,
-            name_len: u16::try_from(snapshot.len())?,
+            name_len: u16::try_from(path.len())?,
         };
 
         if self.log_to_stdout {
-            println!(
-                "S|{}|{}|{}:{}",
-                file_number,
-                uuid.to_string(),
-                store,
-                snapshot
-            );
+            println!("S|{}|{}|{}:{}", file_number, uuid.to_string(), store, path,);
         }
 
         self.pending.push(b'S');
@@ -726,16 +717,14 @@ impl MediaCatalog {
         }
         self.pending.extend(store.as_bytes());
         self.pending.push(b':');
-        self.pending.extend(snapshot.as_bytes());
+        self.pending.extend(path.as_bytes());
 
         let content = self
             .content
             .entry(store.to_string())
             .or_insert(DatastoreContent::new());
 
-        content
-            .snapshot_index
-            .insert(snapshot.to_string(), file_number);
+        content.snapshot_index.insert(path, file_number);
 
         self.last_entry = Some((uuid, file_number));
 
@@ -891,7 +880,8 @@ impl MediaCatalog {
                     let snapshot = file.read_exact_allocated(name_len)?;
                     let snapshot = std::str::from_utf8(&snapshot)?;
 
-                    self.check_register_snapshot(file_number, snapshot)?;
+                    let _ = parse_ns_and_snapshot(snapshot)?;
+                    self.check_register_snapshot(file_number)?;
 
                     let content = self
                         .content
diff --git a/src/tape/pool_writer/catalog_set.rs b/src/tape/pool_writer/catalog_set.rs
index 76dc5f7b..1acc108a 100644
--- a/src/tape/pool_writer/catalog_set.rs
+++ b/src/tape/pool_writer/catalog_set.rs
@@ -69,11 +69,12 @@ impl CatalogSet {
         uuid: Uuid, // Uuid form MediaContentHeader
         file_number: u64,
         store: &str,
-        snapshot: &str,
+        ns: &pbs_api_types::BackupNamespace,
+        snapshot: &pbs_api_types::BackupDir,
     ) -> Result<(), Error> {
         match self.catalog {
             Some(ref mut catalog) => {
-                catalog.register_snapshot(uuid, file_number, store, snapshot)?;
+                catalog.register_snapshot(uuid, file_number, store, ns, snapshot)?;
             }
             None => bail!("no catalog loaded - internal error"),
         }
diff --git a/src/tape/pool_writer/mod.rs b/src/tape/pool_writer/mod.rs
index 0100ba6e..849304ca 100644
--- a/src/tape/pool_writer/mod.rs
+++ b/src/tape/pool_writer/mod.rs
@@ -420,7 +420,8 @@ impl PoolWriter {
                         content_uuid,
                         current_file_number,
                         &snapshot_reader.datastore_name().to_string(),
-                        &snapshot_reader.snapshot().to_string(),
+                        snapshot_reader.snapshot().backup_ns(),
+                        snapshot_reader.snapshot().as_ref(),
                     )?;
                     (true, writer.bytes_written())
                 }