What SSSS Means On Your Boarding Pass and What to Do

Aerial view of people at an airport, with passengers visible on two levels — SSSS on your boarding pass means you’ll go through a secondary security screening at the airport.

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This article was originally published in 2023 and most recently updated on May 28, 2026, with current information.

The first time you see SSSS printed on your boarding pass can be confusing. Are you going to get an upgrade? We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but no. SSSS stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection. Even if you have TSA PreCheck, Clear, and Global Entry, you can still find SSSS on your boarding pass. Read on to find out what SSS on your boarding pass means, why it happens, and what should you do if you’re flagged.

What is SSSS?

SSSS stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection, and signals that you’ve been chosen for additional airport security checks. These screenings can come in the form of pat-downs, extra luggage inspections, swabs for explosives and more—and you’re likely going to spend about 15-45 minutes longer than expected in airport security. If you’ve been flagged for SSSS, you won’t be able to do mobile or online check-in; instead, you’ll be asked to see check-in staff at the airport.

Why did I get SSSS on my boarding pass?

According to TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy, SSSS appears on a passenger’s boarding pass when the passenger has been selected by the agency’s Secure Flight system for enhanced security screening. Secure Flight is a risk-based passenger prescreening program that improves security by identifying low- and high-risk passengers before they arrive at the airport. Anyone who is enrolled in TSA PreCheck has been vetted by Secure Flight.

The program does its passenger assessments by matching passengers’ full names, dates of birth, and sex against trusted traveler lists and watch lists. It also looks for individuals on the No Fly List (a sub-set of a larger terrorist watch list) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Do Not Board Lists (people with serious communicable illnesses, such as tuberculosis), to prevent them from flying to the U.S.

Getting selected for SSSS screening does not mean you’re a high-risk passenger, or ended up on one of those lists—passengers are randomly selected as well. “TSA always incorporates random and unpredictable measures into its procedures that may result in a passenger receiving an SSSS designation for a single flight,” McCarthy told Afar by email. Even passengers enrolled in Trusted Traveler Programs, like Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, can find SSSS printed on their boarding passes.

TSA does not release data to the public about who gets SSSS on their boarding pass and why, but a December 2023 U.S. Senate report based on TSA data found that “the vast majority of ‘SSSS’ designations in recent years are due to random selection.”

What happens if you have SSSS on your boarding pass?

Having SSSS on your boarding pass means you’ll go through an enhanced security screening. Do not panic; this doesn’t mean you’ll miss your flight. SSSS boarding passes can only be issued at the airport. If you’ve been flagged for SSSS, mobile or online check-in will be blocked and you’ll get an error message. You’ll need to go to a check-in counter at the airport to get your boarding pass. Plan to get to the airport 30 minutes earlier to allow time for any hiccups or potential extended security screening. And take a deep breath to ease any anxiety. There is nothing you can do in the moment to remove SSSS from your boarding pass.

The SSSS enhanced screening will happen either at the regular TSA checkpoint or in a separate secondary area. If you get an SSSS boarding pass on an international flights to the U.S., you can expect the enhanced security screening to be right at the gate, in a curtained off area. An enhanced security screening can include:

Having your carry-on and personal item opened and inspected.
Having your hands, electronics, and/or bags swabbed for explosive trace detection.
Advanced imaging and possibly a pat‑down is common. If your added screening is at the regular TSA checkpoint and you want to do this in privacy, tell the TSA agent.

Why do I have SSSS on my boarding pass flying back to the U.S.?

Even with TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, I’ve had the dreaded SSSS on my boarding pass a couple of times, but only when flying to the United States from abroad. All of the extended security screenings were right at the gate, in a side area. A handful of people had been flagged, but the secondary security checks were quick and efficient; in around 10 minutes, my electronics (laptop, Kindle, and phone) were swabbed and my carry-on examined by hand.

Travelers flying back to the U.S. can be flagged for SSSS because of TSA’s Silent Partner program. According to a June 2025 report from the Department of Homeland Security, this “enables TSA to identify passengers for enhanced screening on international flights” going to the U.S. The report does not detail how these passengers are identified, saying only, “TSA creates rules based on current intelligence...to identify passengers for enhanced screening.” The report adds that there are also “protocols to select individuals at random for enhanced screening.”

What should I do if I keep getting SSSS on my boarding pass?

Having SSSS printed on your boarding pass can be random. It can happen once and never again. But if you find SSSS printed on your boarding pass several times, apply for the Department of Homeland Security’s Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) to get a redress number; this is a unique seven-digit identifier that you can used to confirm your identity when booking a flight. There is no cost to getting a redress number, and applicants have reported that it can take up to two months for your redress number to be processed.

A redress number is not a Known Traveler Number, which is assigned to anyone enrolled in TSA PreCheck. “The DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program can provide resolution to travelers with difficulties getting through security and inspection at airport checkpoints, train stations, and when crossing U.S. borders,” according to the TSA website.

Rosalie Tinelli, Bailey Berg, and Matt Villano contributed to the reporting of this story.

Sophie Friedman

Sophie Friedman is a freelance journalist and editor based in Marseille, France. Prior to contributing to Afar, she oversaw Michelin Guide’s site and print guidebooks. She has worked on a dozen guidebooks for Fodor’s, covering destinations such as Egypt, Myanmar, and China. Her writing and photos have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, The Infatuation, Roadbook, and more. Her favorite ways to move around are by train and bike, and her backpack always has nuts, clementines, and something to read.