Is PASSID the Same as Known Traveler Number? Yes (and When)

Yes. If you're asking is passid the same as known traveler number, the PASSID on your Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI membership is the number to type into an airline's Known Traveler Number (KTN) field. Airlines use the term "Known Traveler Number" and TSA calls the same thing the CBP PASSID.

The catch is timing. The number only works once CBP approves you, and for most applicants the wait for an interview sets that date.

Quick check: is passid the same as known traveler number for every program?

It is the same number for all three CBP programs. Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI members each get a PASSID, and each one works as a KTN. (If you're unsure how the three programs differ, see Is Global Entry the same as NEXUS?.)

The format differs from a KTN you get by enrolling in TSA PreCheck alone:

Source for both rows: the TSA PreCheck FAQ. TSA's standalone PASSID page says only that a PASSID usually begins with 98, so treat 15, 98 and 99 as the common prefixes.

Where to find your PASSID

• On the card. It is printed on the back of your Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI card.
• In your Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) account. Log in at ttp.dhs.gov and look under Program Memberships.

Do not bother with TSA's KTN lookup tool for this. It does not find a Global Entry PASSID, so use the TTP login.

How to enter it so PreCheck prints on the boarding pass

Showing your card at the checkpoint does not get you into the PreCheck lane. The PASSID has to be in the KTN field of the reservation, and the PreCheck indicator has to print on the boarding pass.

• Put the PASSID in the Known Traveler or Trusted Traveler field. Never put it in the Redress field. A redress number is a separate number that DHS TRIP issues to travelers who have had repeated screening problems.
• Name, date of birth and gender must match your TTP record exactly.
• At Delta, a KTN added to your profile syncs to existing reservations within 36 to 48 hours. Bookings made through third parties may not pass the KTN to the airline.
• Southwest takes the KTN from your Rapid Rewards profile. It does not take it from travel agency systems (per UC Berkeley Travel).
• For an older booking, contact the airline to add it.
• If you hold both PreCheck and Global Entry, use the PASSID as your KTN.

When the PASSID starts working

You get a usable PASSID when CBP approves you. For new applicants, that comes after the interview. Per DHS, 80% of applications reach conditional approval within 2 weeks. Most applicants without a criminal history get full membership in 4 to 6 months, and some take 12 months or more. The PASSID works as your KTN once you are approved, even before the card arrives. Card delivery runs from 7 days to 8 weeks per TTP, and a CBP FAQ cited by QueueCheck says 2 to 4 weeks.

The date you control least is the interview.

Worked example: from application to PASSID on a boarding pass

This is a hypothetical. The dates below are made up to show the arithmetic. Replace the third step with the real number for your center.

1. Apply on March 3. You pay the $120 CBP fee, which covers 5 years.
2. Add about 2 weeks for conditional approval. That is March 17. About 80% of applicants get there that fast.
3. Look up your center's next bookable interview date. Open Global Entry wait times (the site also has NEXUS and SENTRI wait-time pages) and find your center. Say it shows a next bookable date 95 days out. March 17 plus 95 days is June 20.
4. Earliest PASSID date. If CBP approves you at or shortly after the interview, June 20 is the earliest the PASSID could show up as PreCheck on a boarding pass. That is 109 days after you applied.

Here is how the same example shifts with the wait at your center:

Each row starts from a next bookable date. A cancellation can pull your date earlier, but nobody can promise you one.

You have 730 days from conditional approval to finish the interview. After that the application is cancelled with no refund. Even the 180-day row sits well inside that window, so the deadline matters only if you put the interview off for a long time.

Check each center's next bookable date

A drive to a different center can cut months. The Global Entry appointment availability page shows each center's next bookable date, not whether a slot is open right now.

If a long wait does not suit you, CBP also offers Enrollment on Arrival, Enrollment on Departure, Enrollment on Embarkation at some seaports, and appointment-free options at some land ports. Availability varies by location, so check with CBP.

Renewing: the PASSID stays the same

If you renew, your PASSID does not change, so you do not need to update airline profiles. You can renew up to 1 year before your membership expires. For a renewal, the interview wait is about keeping the number active.

Sources disagree on how long benefits continue after expiration if you file before you expire: one says up to 24 months, another says 6 months. A renewal may or may not need an interview. Check CBP's renewal help article before you rely on a grace period.

Hearing about earlier interview dates

If your center's next bookable date is months out, GlobalEntryTexts texts you when a Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI interview appointment opens at the enrollment centers you choose. You can watch up to 3 centers. It costs $25, paid once, for 30 days of monitoring, and it is not a subscription. You book the appointment yourself on ttp.dhs.gov, and GlobalEntryTexts never books for you.