How to Get a Known Traveler Number: Fastest Route and Waits
For Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI members, the Known Traveler Number (KTN) is the CBP PASSID, and you get it when you are approved into one of those programs. TSA PreCheck enrollment also issues a KTN. For most people, how to get known traveler number means applying for Global Entry, where the $120 fee is paid up front and the interview wait is the slowest step.
Which route gets you a KTN
| Route | Who can apply | What you do | Where the delay is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Entry | US citizens, US LPRs and select foreign nationals | Online application, then an interview | Interview appointment |
| NEXUS | US citizens, US LPRs, Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents, Mexican nationals | Online application, then an in-person appointment | Interview appointment |
| SENTRI | US citizens, US LPRs and all foreign nationals | Online application, then an in-person appointment | Interview appointment |
| TSA PreCheck only | US citizens, US nationals and LPRs | Enroll in person at an enrollment center | Most get the KTN in 3-5 days, some up to 60 |
Global Entry members get TSA PreCheck benefits as part of membership. The PreCheck-only KTN skips CBP's customs benefits, so pick the route based on whether you want those too.
How to get known traveler number through Global Entry, step by step
- Create your own Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) account. Each applicant needs one, whatever the age.
- Apply online and pay the fee through the TTP system. The fee is $120 for 5 years. Some older cached copies of CBP's how-to-apply page still show $100; that was the pre-October 2024 fee, so do not budget for it. You can pay by credit card or electronic bank transfer. The fee is non-refundable, even if the application is denied.
- Wait for CBP's review. CBP says 80% of applications are approved within 2 weeks, but some take up to 12 months or longer.
- Schedule your interview. When you are conditionally approved, your TTP account tells you to book an interview at an enrollment center. Each applicant, including each family member, needs a separate interview.
- Attend the interview. After final approval, your PASSID is the KTN.
For typical timelines at each stage, see how long approval and interview waits take.
Check the next bookable date before you pick a center
Step 4 is where most people stall. The Global Entry appointment availability page lists each center's next bookable date. For wait-time context, use the Global Entry wait times, NEXUS wait times and SENTRI wait times pages.
One limit applies to all of them: these pages show the next bookable date. They do not show whether a slot is open right now. A center showing a date three months out can still release a cancelled slot tomorrow. Nobody can promise you one.
Skip the enrollment-center wait with EoA or EoD
If you are conditionally approved, you can interview somewhere other than an enrollment center.
- Enrollment on Arrival (EoA): you interview when you arrive in the US from abroad. CBP says to use it to save time. Example: Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Booth 58, for travelers returning from abroad.
- Enrollment on Departure (EoD): available at select airports. Examples from CBP: Miami (MIA), Concourse J, 2nd level, Mon-Sat 8am-6pm ET; and Dulles (IAD), Concourse B across from Gate B41, daily 12pm-8pm. Check CBP's EoD page for current hours before you go, since they can change.
What to bring
- A valid passport. Bring all of them if you travel on more than one.
- Proof of residency: a driver's license with your current address, a mortgage statement, a rental payment statement or a utility bill. Minors do not need residency proof.
- Permanent residents: your permanent resident card.
- At an enrollment center: a valid passport plus one other ID.
NEXUS and SENTRI
Both follow the same pattern: apply online, then attend an in-person appointment. Fees are listed on the program provider websites, so check there for the current amount. Both give you a PASSID that works as a KTN. Check NEXUS wait times or SENTRI wait times for the center you plan to use.
The TSA PreCheck-only alternative
If you only want PreCheck, this is the shorter path. TSA PreCheck costs $78–$85 for 5 years depending on the enrollment provider; TSA's FAQ lists $85. Most applicants receive the KTN in 3-5 days, though some wait up to 60. First-time applicants pay in person at an enrollment center, not online. TSA says to enroll only through universalenroll.dhs.gov to avoid extra fees.
Some travel cards, such as Capital One Venture and Venture X, reimburse the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee, under Capital One's terms as one statement credit per account every 4 years.
Where to find your number and how to use it
The KTN is a nine-digit PASSID. TSA says it usually starts with 15, 98 or 99; Capital One lists a wider set of prefixes: 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 50, 70, 80, 95, 98 and 99. Find it on the back of your Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI card, or by logging in to the TTP website.
The card alone does not open PreCheck lanes. To get the benefit:
- Enter the PASSID in the KTN field of every reservation.
- Make sure your name and date of birth match your KTN record exactly. If they do not, the boarding pass shows no PreCheck indicator.
- For bookings you already made, contact the airline by phone or online to add it.
You can fly without a KTN, domestically or internationally. It adds PreCheck screening and nothing else.
Renewal and keeping the number
TSA PreCheck members keep the same KTN when they renew. You can renew online up to 6 months before expiry, and TSA recommends renewing at least 60 days before. Once the KTN expires, your boarding pass loses the PreCheck indicator. A name change can take up to three months, so start early.
Getting an earlier interview slot
If the next bookable date at your center is months away, you can keep checking the pages above, and you can try EoA or EoD if you are conditionally approved. GlobalEntryTexts is one more option: it texts you when a Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI interview appointment opens at the enrollment centers you choose, up to 3 centers per 30-day window. It costs $25, paid once, for 30 days of monitoring. You book the appointment yourself on ttp.dhs.gov.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Contact the airline by phone or online and give them your PASSID, with your name and date of birth exactly as they appear in your trusted traveler record.
Yes. For Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI members, the PASSID works as the Known Traveler Number. It is nine digits and printed on the back of the card.
Your boarding pass stops showing the PreCheck indicator. TSA PreCheck members can renew online up to 6 months before expiry and keep the same KTN.
No. You can fly domestically and internationally without one. The KTN adds PreCheck screening to your reservation.
TSA PreCheck, if you only want PreCheck. Most applicants get the KTN in 3-5 days. Global Entry adds customs benefits, but you need an interview, and appointment waits at many centers run months.