Is TSA PreCheck Only For US Citizens?

If you are a frequent flyer, you are probably aware of how annoyingly long Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security lines can get in the U.S. These lines are the direct result of heightened security implemented following the September 11 attacks and are in place to make air travel secure. However, treating every single traveler as a potential suspect at airports is not a smart idea and initially led to increased processing times and passenger dissatisfaction. To get around this problem, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the TSA PreCheck program in 2011.

The TSA PreCheck is a Trusted Traveler Program designed specifically for low-risk domestic passengers traveling within U.S. airports. Given that the vast majority of air travelers in the U.S. do not have malicious intentions and have verifiable clean records, the TSA urged passengers to sign up for the program. The process involves background check, followed by an interview. Once eligibility is confirmed, they gain access to less crowded TSA PreCheck-specific queues at airports and are subject to more relaxed security and checkup processes.

A TSA PreCheck-cleared passenger will be able to pass through specifically earmarked checkpoints without having to remove their shoes, belts, and light jackets. They are also allowed to keep their electronics and 3-1-1 compliant liquids in their carry-on bags. 

TSA PreCheck is not just limited to U.S. citizens. The program is also open for U.S. nationals, and individuals who are lawful permanent residents of the U.S. While these labels may sound very similar, there are clear differences between these three categories of people.

The first category of people who can enroll in TSA Precheck are U.S. citizens, who belong to a few specific groups: these include people born in the U.S. (regardless of the immigration status of a person's parents), who were lawful permanent residents, and have become U.S. citizens by meeting all the requirements needed to become a naturalized citizen.

U.S. nationals are people who are born in, and are residents of, the U.S. territories of American Samoa and Swains Island. As for U.S. permanent residents, these are foreign nationals who have been granted a long-term right to reside and work in the U.S. Colloquially, they are known as green card holders.

If you fall into any of these aforementioned categories, you are eligible to sign up for the TSA PreCheck program. Do note, however, that this program is only one among the several Trusted Traveler Programs, which also includes Global Entry (for international travel), the Nexus program for frequent travel between the U.S. and Canada, and the Sentri program for U.S.-Mexico travel.