ORD Security: Checkpoint Hours, PreCheck and CLEAR

O'Hare lists these opening hours for its TSA checkpoints. The airport says they may be affected by day-to-day airport activities.

• Terminal 1: CP1 3:30 am to 11:00 pm, CP2 4:00 am to 8:30 pm, CP3 3:45 am to 8:00 pm
• Terminal 2: CP5 3:15 am to 11:00 pm
• Terminal 3: CP6 3:45 am to 8:00 pm, CP7 3:30 am to 8:00 pm, CP7A 3:30 am to 10:30 pm, CP8 4:00 am to 8:30 pm
• Terminal 5: CP10 open 24 hours

The airport does not say which airlines use which checkpoint. Follow the signs once you are inside your terminal, and ask your airline if a checkpoint looks closed.

The airport lists PreCheck hours for four checkpoints:

• Terminal 1, CP2: 4:00 am to 8:30 pm
• Terminal 2, CP5: 3:30 am to 8:00 pm
• Terminal 3, CP7A: 3:30 am to 8:30 pm
• Terminal 5, CP10: 3:45 am to 8:30 pm

O'Hare's table is unclear about PreCheck hours at Terminal 3 CP7, so they are left out here. No PreCheck hours are listed for CP1, CP3, CP6 or CP8. If you fly late and rely on PreCheck, look at your boarding pass for the PreCheck mark and check with your airline or TSA.

Not enrolled yet? O'Hare lists a TSA PreCheck Enrollment Center in Terminal 1, near baggage. A Global Entry Enrollment Center is in Terminal 5, arrivals and baggage claim.

O'Hare's terminal maps for Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5 each show a CLEAR lane before security. The airport does not publish CLEAR hours or say which checkpoint each lane feeds. Check clearme.com for current hours, or ask at the lane before you queue.

O'Hare does not post live security wait times on its own pages. Its TSA page says to ask your air carrier about operations on the date of your flight, and its FAQ sends you to the TSA information page for checkpoint hours. Check tsa.gov for live tools.

O'Hare's FAQ says the TSA recommends arriving 3 hours before international flights and 2 hours before domestic flights. Treat that as a floor on busy mornings and holiday weekends. Have your ID and boarding pass out before you reach the travel document checker.

O'Hare does not mention a security reservation program. If you want a guaranteed window, ask your airline whether it offers priority screening with your ticket.

O'Hare's FAQ says you need a REAL ID compliant card or an alternative such as a U.S. passport to fly, beginning May 7, 2025. Without a photo ID, the FAQ says you can present 2 forms of non-picture identification issued by a state or federal agency, but you face extra screening. O'Hare's TSA page also says that starting February 1, 2026, passengers without an acceptable ID may use TSA ConfirmID, a fee-based service. Check tsa.gov for the current fee and rules.

Terminal 5 is the international terminal, and its CP10 checkpoint is open 24 hours. Connecting passengers can use the secure Terminal Transfer Bus between Terminal 5 and Terminals 1 and 3 to avoid leaving and re-entering security. The bus runs every 15 minutes between 11:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. and is for connecting passengers only. You need a boarding pass for a same-day departing flight from the terminal you are going to. Between Terminals 1, 2 and 3, you stay on the secure side and follow overhead signs.

If you arrive from abroad at Terminal 5 and connect to a domestic flight, you clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection first, then ride the free ATS to Terminal 1, 2 or 3 and go through TSA again. Preclearance arrivals can use the Terminal Transfer Bus instead. U.S. Customs and Border Protection general information: (773) 686-2800.

TSA Cares helps travelers with disabilities or medical conditions. Call (855) 787-2227, ideally 72 hours before you fly. At the airport, you can ask a TSA officer or supervisor for a passenger support specialist. If you lose something at a checkpoint, O'Hare's maps say to contact the TSA at tsa.gov/form/lost-and-found.