CBP to Charge Fee for Required Fingerprint Checks
Published Date: 5/18/2026
Notice
Summary
Starting June 18, 2026, anyone applying for unescorted access to CBP security areas at airports will have to pay a new fee for fingerprint collection. This fee covers the FBI’s fingerprint check and CBP’s processing costs. If you’re submitting a paper application or need new fingerprints because TSA’s are missing or unreadable, this change affects you—and yes, it means a little extra cash out of pocket.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
New $17.37 Fingerprint Fee
Starting after June 17, 2026, anyone applying for unescorted access to CBP security areas at airports who must have fingerprints collected by CBP will be charged $17.37. That amount is the $10.00 FBI fingerprint-check user fee plus CBP's $7.37 administrative processing cost, and it applies when you submit a paper application or when CBP did not receive usable fingerprints from TSA.
No Charge If TSA Fingerprints Used
If CBP receives usable fingerprints from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), you will not be charged the CBP fingerprinting fee. The $17.37 fee applies only to applicants for whom CBP must collect fingerprints because TSA fingerprints were not submitted or were unreadable.
Fee Will Be Adjusted Over Time
CBP will change the fingerprint fee amount whenever the FBI user fee or CBP administrative processing costs change, and CBP will inform applicants of the correct amount. The current total is $17.37 but may be higher or lower in the future if those components change.
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Key Dates
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