Is your Global Entry membership coming to an end pretty soon? Are you wondering what the requirements are for renewing your membership and whether or not you’ll have to undergo an interview?
In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about renewing your Global Entry membership. I’ll cover how to do this online, expiration timelines, fees, and how to handle things like expiring passports.
Table of Contents
How does Global Entry renewal work?
You can renew your Global Entry membership starting one year before your membership expiration date and you can renew online but sometimes you might need to schedule an interview to complete the process.
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When does Global Entry expire?
Global Entry will expire five years from the first birthday following your date of enrollment. This means that you can actually get almost 6 years of membership if you can enroll at the right time.
For example, a few years ago I did not think about what I was doing and I actually had an interview on December 31, 2015. My birthday was only a couple of weeks away on January 18th, and if I had waited until after my birthday to enroll, the five-year clock wouldn’t have started until January 18, 2017, giving me a membership good until 2022.
But instead, my five years started running on January 18, 2016, giving me a membership currently set to expire on January 18, 2021. So I could have gotten nearly an entire extra year of Global Entry by just waiting a couple of weeks longer!
So don’t make that common rookie mistake if you can avoid it.
GOES and TTP
Before diving into all of the details needed for a Global Entry renewal, it’s a good idea to make sure that you are aware that the government recently switched the way for you to manage your account.
In the past, you utilized a system that went by the name of the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) but that changed in October of 2017 to the Trusted Traveler Program (TTP).
For the TTP, you will need to create a new login and password combination, so do not expect to be able to use your prior log-in information. Your new log-in is actually for Login.gov so if you already have an account with them, you should be able to use that log-in information.
You can find a link to the new TTP website here.
Global Entry passport renewal
If you’re a current Global Entry Member and you are being issued a new passport then you won’t need to renew your Global Entry membership, but you will need to update your profile.
You can swing by a Global Entry enrollment process to do this, but I highly suggest that you just do it online because it only takes a few minutes.
If you are an approved Trusted Traveler (Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI) member, you may update certain documents through the TTP website. Once logged in to the TTP website, click on Update Documents on the right hand side of the Dashboard page and follow the prompts to update your document.
If your passport does expire, don’t worry because your Global Entry membership will not expire along with it. However, you won’t be able to use Global Entry as long as your passport is expired.
Global Entry name change
If you are changing your name then you will need to update your Global Entry membership.
However, you are required to visit an enrollment center if you are trying to update your name. In many cases, you don’t necessarily have to schedule an interview and you might be able to just walk in and stop by the office to process the request.
In order to get a new card you will need to pay a $25 processing fee, though.
When can I renew my membership?
You can renew your Global Entry membership beginning one year before the date of expiration.
So, for example, if your membership expires on November 1, 2020, then on November 2, 2019 you should be able to initiate the renewal process. If you are currently a member, your new Global Entry membership will be good five years from your next birthday.
A renewal trick?
CBP states that:
“If you submit a renewal application before expiration of your current membership, then you can continue to use your benefits until the renewal is finalized (up to 6 months after your expiration date).”
So if you submitted your renewal app just before the expiration date, your application likely won’t be finalized until after your birthday and that should give you closer to six years of valid membership for your renewal. I haven’t personally tested this but I think that it should work based on the rules.
But be careful because if you do allowed your membership to expire, you will have to launch an entirely new application.
Note that this is different from TSA Pre-Check which only allows you to renew six months prior to the date of expiration.
Renewing Global Entry online
To begin the renewal process, log onto the Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) website.
When you log into this website, You will be able to see your membership details. If you are currently not eligible to renew you will not see anything allowing you to process a renewal.
However, if you are able to renew you should see a button allowing you to initiate the process.
When you renew your membership, you will be expected to input all of the same type of information that you put with your original application.
So for example you are going to need to enter things like:
- Citizenship or residency documents
- Address changes
- Aliases
- Job changes
- All countries visited in the last five years (You don’t need to know the dates)
You will also need to make your fee payment.
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Global Entry renewal fee
The Global Entry renewal fee is the same fee required to enroll in the program initially. So you will need to pay $100 for a five year membership.
There are many credit cards out there that offer a Global Entry credit to cover this fee so I highly suggest that you consider going with one of those cards, especially because now a lot of cards with lower annual fees even offer these credits.
How long for approval of renewal?
The approval process could take anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks, but times can differ depending on how backed up they get. There are even reports of people getting approved in a matter of a day or two so you never really know when it comes to our government.
If you are experiencing long delays then you can use this link to contact CBP to see what’s going on with your application.
Do you need to have an interview for Global Entry renewal?
Some people will have to undergo an interview for their Global Entry renewal, and if you are required to take an interview you must schedule that interview within 30 days of receiving notification.
It’s not clear exactly what triggers the need for an interview but in some cases it could be random and in other cases it could be linked to your travel patterns. So, for example, if you have visited a lot of countries in the Middle East over the past five years that could potentially trigger the need for an interview.
Generally, these interviews are not very difficult and since you are renewing your application you probably already have an idea of how they go.
But here are some questions they might ask you:
- “What’s your occupation?”
- “Do you travel for business or pleasure?”
- “Do you travel with a family?”
And just in case you need a full refresher you can read about the interview process here.
Something to keep in mind is that in some cities it can be very difficult to schedule a Global Entry interview due to limited availability updates. So if you have a trip coming up and you are not finding availability, I suggest that you check the availability for the interviews on a daily basis because interview slots will often open up every so often.
Final Word
It is not very difficult at all to renew your Global Entry membership. If you are not chosen to undergo an interview then this can actually be a very pain-free process that does not take very much time at all.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
