Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Closing a deceased traveler's TSA PreCheck membership and requesting refunds
TSA Contact Center
TSA PreCheck Inquiry Form
TSA Contact Center (PreCheck account closure)
No published service-level commitment. Account closure requests are handled by the TSA Contact Center and the enrollment provider; processing time varies. The membership and KTN automatically stop working on the printed expiration date in any case.
The Transportation Security Administration screens passengers and baggage at U.S. airports and operates the TSA PreCheck expedited screening program. When a TSA PreCheck member dies, survivors can request that the deceased's membership and Known Traveler Number (KTN) be closed. TSA does not publish a dedicated deceased-member procedure; the practical path is to contact the TSA Contact Center or the enrollment provider (IDEMIA, Telos, or CLEAR) used at sign-up. DHS Trusted Traveler Programs (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI) are administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, not TSA.
Notifying the TSA when someone dies
TSA does not receive death reports automatically and does not publish a written deceased-member procedure for TSA PreCheck. To close a deceased member's PreCheck account and deactivate their Known Traveler Number (KTN), call the TSA Contact Center at 1-866-289-9673 or submit the TSA PreCheck contact form at tsa.gov/contact-center/form/precheck. You can also contact the enrollment provider the member originally enrolled or renewed with (IDEMIA, Telos, or CLEAR) and request account closure. There is no deadline; closing the account is voluntary and primarily protects against identity reuse of the KTN.
Timeline: No statutory deadline. TSA PreCheck memberships expire on the date printed in the member's account and the Known Traveler Number stops working at expiration regardless of any survivor action.
- •Find the Known Traveler Number (KTN), which is 9 or 10 characters and starts with TT, TE, or AC
- •If the KTN is unknown, use the KTN lookup tool on tsa.gov to retrieve it with the member's name and date of birth
- •Identify which enrollment provider was used: IDEMIA (tsaenrollmentbyidemia.tsa.dhs.gov), Telos (tsaprecheckbytelos.tsa.dhs.gov), or CLEAR (tsaprecheckbyclear.tsa.dhs.gov)
- •Call the TSA Contact Center at 1-866-289-9673 (representatives available 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET weekdays; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET weekends and holidays)
- •Or submit the TSA PreCheck contact form at tsa.gov/contact-center/form/precheck
- •Provide the deceased's full legal name, date of birth, Known Traveler Number, and date of death; offer to provide a copy of the death certificate if requested
- •Ask that the KTN be marked as deceased / closed so it cannot be used on future airline reservations
- •IDEMIA: use the contact options at tsaenrollmentbyidemia.tsa.dhs.gov
- •Telos: use the contact options at tsaprecheckbytelos.tsa.dhs.gov
- •CLEAR: use the member-services contact options at tsaprecheckbyclear.tsa.dhs.gov
Required Documents
- Deceased's full legal name, date of birth, and Known Traveler Number (KTN)
- Death certificate (copy may be requested by phone or attached to the PreCheck contact form)
- Your relationship to the deceased and contact information for follow-up
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration if requesting any refund consideration as the estate's representative
Timeline
No published service-level commitment. Account closure requests are handled by the TSA Contact Center and the enrollment provider; processing time varies. The membership and KTN automatically stop working on the printed expiration date in any case.
Survivor benefits
TSA PreCheck Membership Closure
Survivors can request that a deceased member's TSA PreCheck enrollment and Known Traveler Number be marked closed. TSA does not publish a refund policy specific to death. The published general rule is that once the in-person enrollment or renewal is complete and payment has been taken, no refunds are issued. Any refund consideration for a deceased member would be at TSA's discretion and should be raised by phone or via the PreCheck contact form.
Eligibility: Surviving spouse, family member, executor, or personal representative of the estate
How to apply: Call the TSA Contact Center at 1-866-289-9673, submit the PreCheck contact form at tsa.gov/contact-center/form/precheck, or contact the enrollment provider (IDEMIA, Telos, or CLEAR) used at original enrollment or renewal
Learn more →Military Survivor Families TSA PreCheck
Surviving family members of U.S. armed forces service members who died on active duty (or died from a service-connected injury or illness after separation) are eligible for TSA PreCheck under the Military Survivor Families program. Eligibility is verified through the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) or a TSA acknowledgment form. This is a separate eligibility path, not a benefit transferred from the deceased.
Eligibility: Families eligible for the Gold Star Lapel Button (10 U.S.C. § 1126) or the Next of Kin Lapel Button, and certain other military survivor families verified by TAPS
How to apply: Contact the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline at 1-800-959-8277 to obtain the verification letter, then enroll in TSA PreCheck through any enrollment provider
Learn more →Frequently asked questions
The Known Traveler Number (KTN) remains in TSA's system until the membership's scheduled expiration date, but the deceased can no longer use it. Survivors can call the TSA Contact Center at 1-866-289-9673 or submit the PreCheck contact form at tsa.gov/contact-center/form/precheck to request that the account be closed and the KTN deactivated. TSA PreCheck memberships last five years.
TSA's published policy is that once the in-person enrollment or renewal is complete and payment has been taken, no refunds are issued. TSA does not publish a refund exception for deceased members. Any refund consideration is at TSA's discretion and would need to be raised directly with the TSA Contact Center or the enrollment provider used at sign-up.
Call the TSA Contact Center at 1-866-289-9673 or submit the PreCheck contact form at tsa.gov/contact-center/form/precheck. Provide the deceased's full legal name, date of birth, Known Traveler Number, and date of death. You can also contact the enrollment provider used at original sign-up or last renewal: IDEMIA, Telos, or CLEAR.
TSA contracts with three enrollment providers: IDEMIA (tsaenrollmentbyidemia.tsa.dhs.gov), Telos (tsaprecheckbytelos.tsa.dhs.gov), and CLEAR (tsaprecheckbyclear.tsa.dhs.gov). If you do not know which provider was used, the TSA Contact Center can look it up using the member's Known Traveler Number, name, and date of birth.
TSA PreCheck is administered by TSA and covers expedited domestic airport screening. Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI are administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and cover international entry and trusted-traveler border crossings. For CBP programs, contact CBP at 1-877-227-5511 or visit the Trusted Traveler Programs website at ttp.dhs.gov.
Yes. Surviving family members of U.S. armed forces service members who died on active duty (or died from a service-connected injury or illness after separation) are eligible for TSA PreCheck under the Military Survivor Families program. Eligibility is verified through the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), reachable 24/7 at 1-800-959-8277. This is a separate eligibility path, not a transfer of the deceased's membership.
A death certificate is not required to submit the request, but TSA may ask for a copy to verify the death before closing the account. Be prepared to provide one. The PreCheck contact form at tsa.gov/contact-center/form/precheck accepts file attachments.
TSA PreCheck memberships last five years from the date of enrollment or renewal. The membership and Known Traveler Number automatically stop working on the expiration date printed in the member's account, whether or not survivors close the account.
A Known Traveler Number is the 9 or 10-character identifier (starting with TT, TE, or AC) assigned to a TSA PreCheck member. It must be entered on each airline reservation to receive the TSA PreCheck indicator on the boarding pass. After death, survivors should request that the KTN be marked closed so it cannot be reused on future reservations.
Sources
- tsa.gov
- cbp.gov
- tsaenrollmentbyidemia.tsa.dhs.gov
- tsaprecheckbyclear.tsa.dhs.gov
- tsaprecheckbytelos.tsa.dhs.gov
Data sourced from Transportation Security Administration primary sources (14 pages reviewed). How we research.
TSA Contact Center
TSA PreCheck Inquiry Form
TSA Contact Center (PreCheck account closure)
No published service-level commitment. Account closure requests are handled by the TSA Contact Center and the enrollment provider; processing time varies. The membership and KTN automatically stop working on the printed expiration date in any case.