How to Update Your Name on TSA PreCheck After a Legal Name Change

To update your name on TSA PreCheck after a legal name change, email or fax your name-change document and updated government photo ID to IDEMIA, TSA’s enrollment partner. There is no online portal, and enrollment centers cannot process the change in person.¹ Processing takes up to 45 days, and you will not receive PreCheck benefits while it’s pending, so the sequence and timing matter.²

Get Your New Photo ID First

TSA requires an updated government-issued photo ID showing your new legal name as part of the submission, so this has to be done before you contact IDEMIA.¹ For most people that means a new driver’s license from the state motor vehicle agency. If you travel internationally, update your passport through the Department of State as well; the forms and fees depend on how recently the passport was issued and how recently your name changed.³

Don’t send anything to TSA until the new ID is in hand. The request won’t move forward without it.

What to Send

You need two things: proof of the name change and your updated photo ID. Acceptable proof includes a marriage certificate with a visible government seal, the relevant pages of a divorce decree (first page, name-change page, and signature page), or a court order granting a legal name change.⁴ Social Security cards and hospital-issued birth certificates are not accepted.¹

You’ll also need your Known Traveler Number (KTN). If you’ve lost it, use the KTN lookup tool on the IDEMIA or Telos enrollment website; the tool asks for the phone number or email you used at enrollment.¹

Scan or photograph the documents cleanly, with no glare, and save them as JPEG, PDF, or DOC files. Attach them directly. Some email programs convert large attachments into cloud links, and TSA won’t accept those.¹

Where to Send It

Email your documents to TSAEnrollmentDocuments@tsa.dhs.gov. In the body of the email, list your updated name broken into first, middle, and last, and include your KTN. If you password-protect the attachments, use your KTN in all capital letters as the password.¹

If email won’t work, fax the same materials to 540-373-0620 and write your KTN on every page. For questions, call the IDEMIA enrollment call center at 855-347-8371, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern.¹

Name changes route through IDEMIA even if you originally enrolled through CLEAR or Telos.⁵

How Long It Takes and What Happens While You Wait

Name changes can take up to 45 days, and the clock starts when TSA receives your documents rather than when you send them.² Build in a few extra days for fax transit.

During processing you will not get PreCheck benefits. Your updated ID no longer matches the name on file, so the Secure Flight system cannot confirm your eligibility and you’ll be sent to standard screening.⁶ If you have flights in the next six weeks, submit as early as possible and plan for regular lanes in the meantime. The good news: a name change does not reset your five-year membership or require re-enrollment. Your original expiration date holds.

Update Your Airline Reservations and Frequent Flyer Accounts

PreCheck only works when the name on your airline reservation matches the name in your PreCheck profile exactly.⁷ Once TSA updates its record, your tickets and loyalty accounts need to reflect the same new name.

Most major airlines allow name corrections for a legal name change at no charge, though the mechanics vary; some update the booking in place, others reissue the ticket. Corrections typically can’t happen within 24 hours of departure because the flight may already be under airport control. Call the airline’s reservations desk with your name-change document ready.

For frequent flyer profiles, airlines generally have you upload a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order, and processing can take up to two weeks. Because your KTN sits inside your loyalty profile, updating the name there keeps future bookings clean automatically.

If You Have Global Entry or Another Trusted Traveler Program

Global Entry, NEXUS, and other Customs and Border Protection Trusted Traveler memberships are separate records and need their own updates. You cannot edit your name in the TTP dashboard yourself. Contact CBP through the “Ask Us A Question” link on the TTP help page, choosing “Trusted Traveler Programs” as the topic and “I am already a member” as the issue.⁸

Global Entry name changes require a visit to a Global Entry enrollment center in person.⁹ Bring your updated passport and your name-change documentation. If you got your PreCheck through Global Entry, update through CBP rather than IDEMIA, since Global Entry includes PreCheck.

Confirming the Change

After the processing window, run your KTN through the lookup tool on the IDEMIA or Telos enrollment site. If the record shows your new legal name, the change is complete.¹ There is no physical card to reissue; the membership is a digital record tied to your KTN and biographical data.

On your next boarding pass, the PreCheck indicator should appear once the airline pulls your updated KTN at check-in. If it doesn’t, check that the reservation matches your PreCheck profile letter for letter, middle name included if you gave one at enrollment.²

1
TSA Enrollment by IDEMIA. TSA Enrollment Help Center
2
Transportation Security Administration. TSA PreCheck FAQ
3
U.S. Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
4
Transportation Security Administration. Required Documents for TSA PreCheck Application
5
Transportation Security Administration. What Is a TSA PreCheck Enrollment Provider
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Transportation Security Administration. My Personal Information Has Changed – How Do I Update My TSA PreCheck
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Transportation Security Administration. Does the Name on My Airline Reservation Have to Match the Name on My Application
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Programs Application – Personal Information Section
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions