I recently took my 12 year old daughter for TSA PreCheck enrollment. TSA PreCheck is a government program that provides a separate security screening lane for TSA-approved passengers and if you travel you know how convenient it can be. Children 12 and under can use the PreCheck line when traveling with an eligible parent or guardian, but once they hit 13 they will need their own known traveler number.
The enrollment process wasn’t as easy as I hoped so I thought I would share some tips. To begin, you need to submit an online application and then schedule an in-person appointment that includes a background check and fingerprinting at an enrollment center. The center on Oahu is located at 810 Richards Street in downtown Honolulu.
My first tip would be when you are making the appointment, aim for the earliest time slot. Our initial appointment was at 11:15am and when we arrived, they were running a couple of hours behind and we couldn’t wait. The small office can process two people at a time. I rescheduled for a 9:00 am appointment and for that one we waited about 30 minutes.
Second tip: have your child’s social security number handy. We were told we just needed to bring my daughter’s passport, but while we were processing I also had to enter her social security number which I didn’t bring nor did I have memorized. Luckily, I was able to access it on my phone.
My last tip is regarding parking. The closest parking is the U.S. Post Office metered lot at $1.50 per hour. If you are lucky enough to score a spot make sure to bring coins. The meters also take credit cards, but the person next to us couldn’t get it to work. Parking is limited to one hour so make sure you have enough coins in case your appointment runs late. The first time we couldn’t find street parking so we ended up parking at Alii Place on Alakea.
The application fee is $85 and good for 5 years.
