At the airport
TSA PreCheck for kids: who needs a membership, who does not
Enter your child’s age and how you booked: the tool applies TSA’s family rule.
Can my child use the PreCheck lane with me?
TSA PreCheck lane
If the indicator shows
| Rule: From 13 to 17, only if the indicator also appears on the child's boarding pass: same airline, same reservation, and leave the child's KTN field empty. |
Rule from the TSA PreCheck families page; TSA does not promise the lane on a given flight.
Children rarely need a PreCheck membership of their own. TSA's family page sets three age bands. Children 12 and under go through the PreCheck lane with a parent or guardian whose boarding pass shows the indicator; their own boarding pass needs nothing. Children 13 to 17 may use the lane only when the indicator also appears on their boarding pass, which happens when they are on the same airline reservation as the PreCheck adult and their Known Traveler Number field is left blank; on a separate reservation without a KTN, they do not get it. From 18, a traveler needs a membership of their own. TSA adds that a child who routinely flies alone should enroll. For customs on the way back from abroad, the picture changes: Global Entry has no fee for applicants under 18 when a parent is a member or applies at the same time, but each child must apply and be interviewed with a parent present. CLEAR+ lets children 17 and under through with a member at no charge.
Five years for the whole family
Family total, five years
$240
| Per year | $48 |
| Children | apply, no fee with a member parent |
Applicants under 18 pay no fee when a parent or guardian is a member or applies at the same time.
Fees and rules read on tsa.gov and cbp.gov by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The three age rules
| Age | PreCheck lane | Indicator on the child’s pass needed | Own KTN needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 and under | with a PreCheck parent or guardian | no | no |
| 13 to 17 | only if the indicator shows on their pass | yes, via the same reservation | no, leave the KTN blank |
| 18 and over | only with their own membership | yes | yes |
The rule turns on the age at the time of travel. A child who turns 13 between two trips moves to the second band, and booking on the same reservation starts to matter.
What a family pays, program by program
- TSA PreCheck: the adults pay, children 17 and under ride along under the rules above.
- Global Entry: $120 per adult; $0 for each child under 18 with a member parent, but every child applies and is interviewed.
- CLEAR+: $219 a year for the first adult, $125 for each added adult up to 3; children 17 and under free with a member.
Set your household below to see five years for each program.
Five years for the whole family
Family total, five years
$240
| Per year | $48 |
| Children | apply, no fee with a member parent |
Applicants under 18 pay no fee when a parent or guardian is a member or applies at the same time.
Booking tips that keep the family together
Book everyone on one reservation. Enter each adult's KTN in their own profile and leave blank the field of any child who has no membership: TSA asks you not to enter one for a child without their own KTN. Check the boarding passes before leaving home; if a teenager's pass lacks the indicator, the whole family can still go through the standard lane together. If one parent has PreCheck and the other does not, children may follow the one who does.
When a child should enroll
Enrolling makes sense for a teenager who flies alone, for example to visit a parent or for school, and for any child in a family that travels abroad, where Global Entry is free for minors with a member parent and includes PreCheck. For a child who always flies with you on domestic trips, a membership adds nothing. The Global Entry cost page gives the detail of the minor exemption.
Two common family situations
A family of four with children aged 9 and 15, both parents with PreCheck, books one reservation. The nine-year-old follows a parent through the lane whatever the boarding pass says. The fifteen-year-old needs the indicator on their own pass; on the same reservation, with the KTN field left blank, the airline can add it. If the teenager's pass shows no indicator at the airport, that child goes through standard screening, and the family may prefer to stay together in that lane.
A divorced parent sends a fourteen-year-old to fly alone to the other parent each school holiday. Here no family rule applies: the child is on a separate reservation and travels without an adult, so PreCheck needs a membership of their own. TSA's advice for children who travel alone routinely is to enroll in PreCheck or another trusted traveler program; Global Entry is free for a minor whose parent is a member, which makes it the cheaper route when a parent already holds it.