diff --git a/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/head.js b/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/head.js
index 5223e9d6c176..0443dd25ca24 100644
--- a/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/head.js
+++ b/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/head.js
@@ -126,8 +126,9 @@ let NCI = (function() {
 let TAG = (function() {
   function setData(re, flag, tnf, type, payload) {
     let deferred = Promise.defer();
+    let tnfNum = NDEF.getTNFNum(tnf);
     let cmd = "nfc tag set " + re +
-              " [" + flag + "," + tnf + "," + type + ",," + payload + "]";
+              " [" + flag + "," + tnfNum + "," + type + ",," + payload + "]";
 
     emulator.run(cmd, function(result) {
       is(result.pop(), "OK", "set NDEF data of tag" + re);
@@ -156,8 +157,9 @@ let TAG = (function() {
 let SNEP = (function() {
   function put(dsap, ssap, flags, tnf, type, id, payload) {
     let deferred = Promise.defer();
+    let tnfNum = NDEF.getTNFNum(tnf);
     let cmd = "nfc snep put " + dsap + " " + ssap + " [" + flags + "," +
-                                                           tnf + "," +
+                                                           tnfNum + "," +
                                                            type + "," +
                                                            id + "," +
                                                            payload + "]";
@@ -245,7 +247,18 @@ function runTests() {
 }
 
 const NDEF = {
-  TNF_WELL_KNOWN: 1,
+  TNF_WELL_KNOWN: "well-known",
+
+  tnfValues: ["empty", "well-known", "media-type", "absolute-uri", "external",
+    "unknown", "unchanged", "reserved"],
+
+  getTNFNum: function (tnfString) {
+    return this.tnfValues.indexOf(tnfString);
+  },
+
+  getTNFString: function(tnfNum) {
+    return this.tnfValues[tnfNum];
+  },
 
   // compares two NDEF messages
   compare: function(ndef1, ndef2) {
@@ -290,7 +303,7 @@ const NDEF = {
         let type = NfcUtils.fromUTF8(this.atob(value.type));
         let id = NfcUtils.fromUTF8(this.atob(value.id));
         let payload = NfcUtils.fromUTF8(this.atob(value.payload));
-        return new MozNDEFRecord({tnf: value.tnf, type: type, id: id, payload: payload});
+        return new MozNDEFRecord({tnf: NDEF.getTNFString(value.tnf), type: type, id: id, payload: payload});
       }, window);
     return ndef;
   }
diff --git a/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_ndef.js b/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_ndef.js
index b17d11a45ca0..1ca59ca637ea 100644
--- a/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_ndef.js
+++ b/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_ndef.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ function testConstructNDEF() {
   try {
     // omit type, id and payload.
     let r = new MozNDEFRecord();
-    is(r.tnf, 0, "r.tnf should be 0");
+    is(r.tnf, "empty", "r.tnf should be 'empty'");
     is(r.type, null, "r.type should be null");
     is(r.id, null, "r.id should be null");
     is(r.payload, null, "r.payload should be null");
diff --git a/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_nfc_error_messages.js b/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_nfc_error_messages.js
index 75ad583486da..4a91f2c758ee 100644
--- a/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_nfc_error_messages.js
+++ b/dom/nfc/tests/marionette/test_nfc_error_messages.js
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ const MARIONETTE_TIMEOUT = 60000;
 const MARIONETTE_HEAD_JS = 'head.js';
 
 const MANIFEST_URL = 'app://system.gaiamobile.org/manifest.webapp';
-const NDEF_MESSAGE = [new MozNDEFRecord({tnf: 0x01,
+const NDEF_MESSAGE = [new MozNDEFRecord({tnf: "well-known",
                                          type: new Uint8Array(0x84),
                                          payload: new Uint8Array(0x20)})];