Q&A on the News

How do you sign up for TSA Precheck? I know there’s a fee, but how do you pay it?

—Linda Mauldin, Duluth

The process starts by filling out an online application at universalenroll.dhs.gov. Then an appointment for an in-person background check and fingerprinting is scheduled at an enrollment center. The TSA notes that there are more than 380 enrollment centers.

The cost is $85 for a fiveyear membership for TSA Precheck, an expedited screening program that lets approved travelers move through airport security lines faster.

The fee covers the fingerprinting, background check, identity verification and program administrative costs, according to the TSA Precheck website (tsa.gov/precheck).

The fee is paid at the time of enrollment, in person, by credit card, money order, company check or a cashier’s check, a TSA spokesperson told Q&A on the News via email. The amount is paid to the company that operates the enrollment center. The company, IDEMIA (formerly MorphoTrust), is a contractor that operates the TSA Precheck enrollment centers.

Written notification typically arrives within two to three weeks after the in-person appointment for individuals who use the TSA Precheck Application Program, the TSA Precheck website notes.

Q&A on the News runs Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).