Known Traveler Number for Military: DoD ID vs Global Entry

For uniformed service members, the known traveler number for military travel is the 10-digit DoD ID number on the back of your CAC. Enter it in the Known Traveler Number (KTN) field when you book a flight and it gets you TSA PreCheck for free; Global Entry is a separate program that costs $120 and needs its own interview.

That second point trips up a lot of people. A DoD ID in the KTN field does not put you in Global Entry, does not speed up customs, and does not give you an interview. This page covers where the number goes, who gets it, and what to do if you want Global Entry on top of it.

Where to put your DoD ID number

Use the 10-digit DoD ID on the back of your CAC. Enter it in three places:

• The KTN field on every airline reservation.
• Your Defense Travel System (DTS) profile, for official travel.
• The frequent-flyer profile with each airline you use, so it fills in on its own.

Military OneSource notes that a commercial travel office is not required to ask for your KTN. Give it to them yourself when they book.

Showing your CAC at the checkpoint does not get you into the PreCheck lane. The DoD ID has to be in the reservation, and a PreCheck indicator such as TSAPRECHK or TSA PRE has to print on the boarding pass. The benefit covers official (TDY) and personal travel, and you do not need to be in uniform. If the indicator is missing, fix the reservation with the airline before you reach the checkpoint.

Who gets PreCheck with a DoD ID

Per TSA, these groups are covered:

• Active duty and Reserve components
• Army and Air National Guard
• Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve
• Students at the service academies (USMA, USNA, USAFA, USCGA, USMMA)
• USPHS Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
• DoD civilians (federal civil service and NAF employees)

Armed Forces members do not need to opt in. DoD civilians do: opt in through milConnect or ID Card Office Online first, then use the number.

Merchant Marine Academy cadets and students at the 6 State Maritime Academies use their 8-digit TWIC Credential Identification Number as their KTN instead of a DoD ID.

Known traveler number for military spouses, kids and veterans

Family coverage is narrower than people expect:

• Children 12 and under can go through PreCheck with a parent.
• Children 13 to 17 can too, if they are on the same reservation and their boarding pass shows the PreCheck indicator (TSA). Some third-party pages say the cutoff is 12; TSA's rule is the one that applies.
• Spouses and adult dependents 18 and over who are not DoD-affiliated do not get it free. Military OneSource lists a $25 discount on PreCheck enrollment for spouses and free membership for Gold Star family members.
• Veterans, retirees and anyone leaving DoD lose the free benefit when they separate. TSA says to enroll before you leave so you keep PreCheck for another 5 years.

A paid TSA PreCheck membership costs $78 to $85 for 5 years, depending on the enrollment provider. Its strengths are price and process: it costs $35 to $42 less than Global Entry's $120, and it needs no CBP interview at an enrollment center, only a quick in-person visit to the provider for fingerprinting. It has no customs benefit, so it covers PreCheck lanes only.

Does the DoD ID cover Global Entry?

No. The DoD ID covers PreCheck only. Global Entry costs $120 for 5 years and includes PreCheck (TSA FAQ). Active-duty members pay the same fee, and Military Money Manual says Global Entry is free for neither service members nor spouses.

You may have read that a PreCheck KTN speeds up Global Entry processing. TSA says that applies only if you got the KTN through the TSA PreCheck Application Program. Those numbers are 9 or 10 characters, mixing letters and numbers, and start with TT, TE or AC. A DoD ID is 10 digits, so it does not qualify. One reader comment on Military Money Manual describes a DoD ID coming back "KTN not found" on the Global Entry application. Leave that field blank unless you hold a Trusted Traveler or PreCheck Application Program number.

If you want the $120 covered, some credit cards reimburse the application fee. Check the card's current terms with the issuer.

Worked example: PCS orders with a fixed travel date

Worked example (illustrative numbers, not today's data). A spouse has PCS orders and flies overseas in 9 weeks. They want Global Entry for the trips home. They apply, pay $120 and get conditional approval, then need an interview.

1. Open /global-entry-wait-times and find the enrollment center nearest the base. Say it is Norfolk, so open its page at /location/norfolk-ec.
2. Read the next bookable date. Suppose it shows 14 weeks out.
3. Compare: 14 weeks is 5 weeks after the move date. The interview at that center will not happen before departure.

The availability page shows each center's next bookable date. Cancellations never show up on a page, so treat the date as the earliest the schedule lists. Use the page to compare other centers within driving range of the base, since dates differ a lot from one center to the next.

With a 5-week gap, this spouse has three practical choices:

• Book the 14-week date as a fallback and keep looking for something earlier.
• Check other centers on the availability page, including one near the move-out route or the new duty station.
• Plan on Enrollment on Arrival (below) when they fly back to the US.

For how long approval takes before the interview step, see Global Entry turnaround time.

Route 2: Enrollment on Arrival from overseas

If you have conditional approval and fly home from an international trip, you can finish enrollment at a Global Entry kiosk-equipped airport on arrival. This is useful when you return from OCONUS. If you complete Enrollment on Arrival, any interview you had already booked is cancelled automatically (CBP FAQ), so you do not need to cancel it yourself.

Route 3: Renew early

If you already have Global Entry, CBP lets you renew starting 1 year before it expires.

• File before the expiration date and you keep your benefits for up to 24 months after it (CBP FAQ).
• You may not need another interview.
• The new card arrives 2 to 4 weeks after approval, and you must activate it within 30 days.
• A replacement card costs $25.

The renewal fee is $120. CBP's How to Apply page and parts of its FAQ still show the old $100; the current fee is $120.

Before you transition out

Decide before your separation date, because you lose the free PreCheck when the DoD ID stops working. Two steps:

1. Enroll in PreCheck, or apply for Global Entry, while you are still covered.
2. Run your own numbers: the Global Entry ROI calculator shows whether the $120 pays off for the trips you take. Then check the live wait time at your nearest center, and work backward from your separation date.

If the date on the page is too late

GlobalEntryTexts texts you when a Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI interview appointment opens at the enrollment centers you choose. Monitoring runs 24/7, texts are unlimited during the 30 days, and no account or login is needed to get alerts. It costs $25, paid once, for 30 days of monitoring, and you can watch up to 3 enrollment centers for that price. You book the appointment yourself on ttp.dhs.gov; GlobalEntryTexts never books for you. If no appointment openings are found at your selected centers during the monitoring window, you can request a refund.