What Is a Redress Number and Do I Need To Apply For One?

Has the question what is a redress number ever struck your mind when preparing to board your flight! If not, then we have brought for you a comprehensive piece of information that will help you understand this better. After all, it’s important to know its meaning, application process and other important details. As a matter of fact, airport security compliance procedures can be quite time consuming and challenging. Moreover, if you are stopped for an additional screening while you travel, it can exacerbate the situation.

No one wishes to face any kind of inconvenience while traveling by air domestically or internationally. Perhaps a redress number is what can come handy and save you during such times. It can help make your airport security experience a lot smoother and fast at the same time. On the other hand, if you do not face any issues while screening at the airport, applying for a redress number is never a bad choice. Let’s try to know more elaborately about what a redress number is and why you should consider availing one the next time you travel by air.

What is a Redress Number?

Well, it is a unique 7-digit record identifier number which is provided by the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP). That is to say, it’s provided to the travelers who seek resolution regarding the inconveniences they may have experienced at the time of travel security screening. It eventually facilitates elimination of misidentification and verifying the passenger identities for the TSA.

DHS TRIP Program

This program helps travelers who have queries or are seeking assistance regarding the inconveniences faced during their travel screening at transportation hubs. For example, at airports or railway stations. To point out, having a redress number significantly negates the possibility of misidentification. We can also say that it is much like the traveler number which is necessary for making an international entry or TSA precheck number. However, it doesn’t mean that this number guarantees a faster security screening. It only helps passengers to circumvent the difficulty during security screening and checks.

Distinguishing Between A Redress Number And A Known Traveler Number (KTN)

A known traveler number uniquely identifies a 9-digit number linking your TSA precheck enrollment for your travel itinerary. In fact, it’s the same number which some of the trustworthy travel programs like NEXUS, Global Entry and SENTRI use. This number is known as “PASSID” for these programs. On the other hand, a redress number is a unique number which helps TSA in properly identifying passengers. These are potentially the passengers which might have been misidentified as requiring an additional security screening.

Applying for A Redress Number

If you encounter difficulties at the airport during screening or identification procedures while traveling, applying for a redress number is always a great option. In fact, having this number will help you save yourself from the unpleasant experiences of this ordeal in future. Submitting an online application in spite of applying through an email will save you some time as well. However, if you wish to send an email to avail a redress number, it will require you to sign all the documents you are attaching.  It can take a month or even more than that to process the application sent by an electronic mail. You get a notification through an email once your application is received. Consequently, you will also get your redress number via your email address.

Steps To Follow For Successfully Sending Your Application

1. First of all, you will be required to enlist your travel experiences. That is to say, you need to mention everything about your travel dates, flight number, the airline and the airport as well. Suppose, if you book Business Class Tickets To India, you will have to mention about your travel schedule comprehensively.

2. The next thing you need to do is click on a box with detail in case of violation of privacy policy. If you think that the airport staff has revealed anything about your personal or confidential information to anyone, you can mark the box. For doing so, the only requirement is writing down your name on the paper you have to mark the box.

3. In the third step you have to mention about the flight experiences and privacy incidents in detail. Perhaps this is the step that will enforce the boxes you have already marked in the first and the second step.

4. The fourth step is completely about your personal information. You will need to fill in all the personal details like your name, date of birth, age, height, gender, birthplace, hair color, eye color or any other personality feature.

5. The fifth step will ask you to provide for a mailing address along with a physical address. There will also be an additional requirement for mentioning your email id but this will be an optional one. In other words, you do not need to fill in if you do not wish to.

6. The sixth step is necessary only if it is applicable to you. If there is anyone assisting you with DHS TRIP and you know him, you can write his name along with his contact details. However, it’s important for you to have authorization of that individual before you mention him and his personal contact details. DHS Form 590 is used for this purpose.

7. Then comes the next step which is associated with document identification. It will require a copy of your passport and some other government issued documents. To enumerate, the list that you will require to furnish for identification is as follows.

  • Passport
  • Driving License
  • Certificate of Citizenship
  • Birth Certificate (if you are under 18)
  • Military and Government I.D. Card
  • Immigrant or Non-immigrant Visa
  • Alien Registration
  • Border Crossing Card
  • SENTRI, FAST, NEXUS, Global Entry
  • Photograph

8. Ultimately, you will have to acknowledge your application and sign it with the date of submission. Remember that the officials won’t accept your application if you fail to sign it.

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The Bottom-line

We now believe that after reading this article you know what is a redress number. Make sure you follow all these important steps meticulously whenever applying for a redress number. All you have to do is just visit the official website of DHS TRIP and file an application. In case you face any issue or lose your redress number, you can get in touch with DHS TRIP by email at trip@tsa.dhs.gov.

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