Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

at least 72 hours before departure^{1, 2}

within 10 days of the travel start date entered at payment³

TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on bags, with special instructions, and in checked bags, though some airlines do not allow them in checked bags. The remains pass through X-ray screening like any other property, and the final decision rests with the TSA officer.⁴

TSA suggests a crematory container of a lighter weight material such as wood or plastic. A container that generates an opaque image will not be allowed through, and out of respect for the deceased, officers will not open a container, even if the passenger requests it.⁴

Nothing happens automatically and nothing is required of survivors. A TSA PreCheck membership is valid for five years; the Known Traveler Number stays in TSA's system until the scheduled expiration date and then stops working.⁵

Survivors can ask TSA to close a deceased member's TSA PreCheck enrollment and Known Traveler Number. Closing the account is voluntary.⁶

A Known Traveler Number is the identifier assigned to a TSA PreCheck member and entered on each airline reservation. For a Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI member, the Known Traveler Number is the CBP PASS ID.⁷

The death certificate or crematory certificate some airlines ask for with cremated remains is an airline requirement, not a TSA one.⁴

A surviving spouse, family member, executor or personal representative of the estate may ask to close a deceased member's TSA PreCheck membership.⁶

Once the in-person TSA PreCheck enrollment or renewal is complete and payment has been taken, there are no refunds. Any refund consideration for a deceased member is discretionary and is raised by phone or through the PreCheck inquiry form.⁵

Trusted Traveler fees, for Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST, are for application processing and are non-refundable.⁸

The $45 TSA ConfirmID fee is paid in advance through Pay.gov, and each adult 18 or older without an acceptable ID completes the process separately. Someone other than the traveler may pay, but the traveler's information must be entered correctly.³

How long a TSA PreCheck closure request takes varies by the TSA Contact Center and the enrollment provider.⁶

Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST memberships, which are CBP programs, not TSA¹⁰

TSA PreCheck enrollments made or last renewed through IDEMIA; their Known Traveler Numbers begin with TT^{7, 6}

TSA PreCheck enrollments made or last renewed through Telos; their Known Traveler Numbers begin with TE^{7, 6}

TSA PreCheck enrollments made or last renewed through CLEAR; their Known Traveler Numbers begin with AC^{7, 6}

Verification letters for free TSA PreCheck, one for each eligible military survivor family member⁹

A Passenger Support Specialist, a TSA officer with specialized training, assists a traveler through the security checkpoint; TSA lists "Traveling with crematory remains" as an example of when to ask. The specialist does not exempt the traveler from screening or provide expedited screening.¹

Who qualifies: Any traveler who needs additional assistance through screening, including a traveler carrying crematory remains

A traveler without an acceptable ID can pay a $45 fee, after which TSA will attempt to verify their identity at the checkpoint; there is no guarantee it can do so. ConfirmID is optional, but a traveler who declines it and has no acceptable ID may not be allowed through security.^{3, 11}

Who qualifies: Any adult passenger 18 or older who cannot present an ID on TSA's acceptable-ID list

Free TSA PreCheck enrollment or renewal for families eligible for the Gold Star lapel button under 10 U.S.C. § 1126 or the Next of Kin Lapel Button, and families of service members who died from a service-connected injury or illness after separation. It is not a transfer of the deceased's membership.⁹

Who qualifies: A spouse, parent, child or sibling of a service member who died on active duty or from a service-connected injury or illness after separation