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I would like to sign up for TSA PreCheck, and started going through the application process online. I got to this screen:

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and it caused me to pause. I will have lived at my current residence for 5 years as of August 11, 2016, just a couple months away. Should I wait until that date to apply? As in, are they asking this question because answering "no" makes them more likely to reject the application? Or are they asking for some other reason (ex, they'll want additional verification about where I lived previous to the current address)?

I do not have any flights coming up, so there's no hurry for me. I'm just wondering if I will slightly increase my chances of being approved by waiting until I can answer "yes" to the last question on that page.

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    I think if you answer no they will show you a form to fill with all the addresses you've lived at for the last 5 years. This question is just to save you filling X addresses. And potentially doing a background check for multiple addresses might take longer to process.
    – Vince
    Jun 15, 2016 at 14:30
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    @Vince you should post that as an answer.
    – Burhan Khalid
    Jun 15, 2016 at 18:07

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The probable reason why you are asked if you lived at your current residence for 5 years is to run an approriate background check. If you answer "no", you will be asked for all your residences you've lived at for the past 5 years.

Part of the TSA Precheck program application is a background check:

... approved travelers are issued a Known Traveler Number (KTN) after completing a TSA background check and screening.

A background check can include a compilation of criminal records, in the USA this is obtained from the town police services.

So in order to check you have not done anything bad in your past, the TSA will likely contact the police in all areas you have lived an check your criminal records. This also means that for those who have lived in multiple towns over the past 5 years, their application might take a little longer.

In your case, unless you want to hide anything, you can probably apply mentioning your two places of residence over the past 5 years.

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As indicated above, They want to know all places of residence for the last 5 years to do a background check. Personal experience: For a number of reasons I lived in 6 places during last 5 years, and I just got approved.

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