Global Entry Enrollment on Arrival lets a conditionally approved applicant finish the required interview with a CBP officer while clearing customs after an international flight, instead of booking a separate appointment at an enrollment center. The airport interview usually takes five to fifteen minutes, and it’s often the fastest way to move from conditional approval to full membership, since scheduled enrollment center appointments can be weeks or months out.
You Need Conditional Approval First
Enrollment on Arrival is only for applicants CBP has already vetted and marked “conditionally approved” in the Trusted Traveler Programs portal at ttp.cbp.dhs.gov. You apply through the portal, pay the $120 non-refundable fee by credit card or electronic bank transfer, and wait for CBP to run its background check.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How to Apply for Global Entry Vetting normally takes about two weeks, but additional review can push that to 12–24 months.2U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How Long Does It Take to Process a Global Entry Application
Log in and check your dashboard before your international trip. If your status still says “pending,” you can’t use Enrollment on Arrival yet. Only “conditionally approved” travelers are eligible to complete the interview at the airport, and the benefits of membership don’t kick in until the interview is done and your status flips to “approved.”
What to Bring
The Enrollment on Arrival program page lists the documents CBP expects you to have when you reach the officer:
- A valid passport.
- Proof of residency — a driver’s license, mortgage statement, rental payment statement, or utility bill.
- Your permanent resident card, if you are a lawful permanent resident.
Every document should be current, and the details need to match what you entered in your TTP application.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Enrollment on Arrival Mismatches between your paperwork and your online profile can slow the interview down or lead to denial.
Where You Can Do It
Enrollment on Arrival is available at a large number of U.S. international airports and at every CBP preclearance location abroad. Participating U.S. airports include major hubs like LAX, JFK, O’Hare, Miami, Atlanta, and San Francisco, along with smaller airports such as Sacramento, Oakland, and Kansas City. Preclearance locations in Canada, Ireland, Aruba, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Abu Dhabi also participate.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Enrollment on Arrival At preclearance airports, you complete the interview before boarding your U.S.-bound flight rather than after landing.4U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Preclearance
Two limits are worth knowing before you count on this option. Not every terminal at a listed airport offers the service, and staffing affects availability, so check the CBP page for your specific airport before your trip. And Enrollment on Arrival is only available to passengers on international flights. A domestic itinerary won’t qualify, even at an airport with an enrollment station.
What Happens at the Interview
After landing, follow the signs toward primary inspection. Many participating airports mark a specific lane or booth for conditionally approved applicants. When you reach a CBP officer, tell them you’d like to complete Enrollment on Arrival, and they’ll pull up your application.
The officer collects your biometrics — fingerprint scans and a digital photograph — and runs them against law enforcement databases to confirm you’re still low-risk. Then come questions drawn straight from your application: travel history, employment, and any legal issues or customs violations. Answer directly. If something in your background needs context, offer it clearly the first time.
The interaction usually takes five to fifteen minutes. It isn’t an interrogation. The officer is confirming that you match your application and that nothing has changed since CBP conditionally approved you. If everything lines up, they’ll tell you you’re good to go.
After You’re Approved
Your TTP account updates from “conditionally approved” to “approved” once the interview clears. Some applicants see the change within minutes; others wait longer, so keep an eye on your dashboard and email.5U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
Once approved, your PASS ID appears at the top of the TTP dashboard. That same number is your Known Traveler Number (KTN).6U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Where Can I Find My Trusted Traveler Membership Number Add it to your airline profiles and any existing reservations right away. The KTN has to be in the booking for TSA PreCheck to appear on your boarding pass.7Transportation Security Administration. What Is a Known Traveler Number (KTN) A common mistake: assuming the physical card handles PreCheck. It doesn’t.
CBP mails a physical Global Entry card to the address on your TTP profile, and delivery generally takes a few weeks. When it arrives, log in and click “Activate Membership Card” to activate it.8U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Card One boundary to keep in mind: the card is valid only at land and sea ports of entry. It is not accepted at airport Global Entry kiosks or touchless portals.5U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions At the airport, the biometric match is what gets you through.
Family Members Traveling Together
If you’re arriving with family and everyone is conditionally approved, you can complete all the Enrollment on Arrival interviews at the same time. Children of any age can apply, but applicants under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian present at the interview, and the parent or guardian must provide consent.9U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Eligibility for Global Entry Since October 2024, the application fee for minors under 18 is waived when the child’s application is submitted alongside a parent’s application or the parent is already a Trusted Traveler member; the child’s application has to include the parent’s TTP application ID or membership number for the $0 fee to apply.10U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
Renewals
Global Entry membership lasts five years.11U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry You renew through the TTP portal by clicking “Renew,” updating anything that’s changed, and paying the $120 fee. Whether CBP requires a new interview depends on your vetting results, and it’s decided at the vetting center’s discretion.12U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How to Renew Trusted Traveler Program Membership If a renewal interview is required and you’re conditionally approved, Enrollment on Arrival is available the same way it is for first-time applicants.
File your renewal before your membership expires and you can keep using Global Entry for up to 24 months past the expiration date while CBP processes it.5U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions Wait until after expiration and that grace period is gone.
If the Officer Can’t Approve You
Denial can happen at the interview itself, at the earlier background check, or even later through revocation. CBP provides a written explanation in every case.13U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Program Denials
If you think the decision rests on inaccurate or incomplete information, you can request reconsideration through the TTP website. The request must be in English and should include the denial date and reason from your notification letter, a written explanation of the circumstances, and court disposition documents for any arrests or convictions, including expunged ones.13U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Program Denials CBP doesn’t publish a timeline for reconsideration, and the $120 fee isn’t refunded whichever way the review goes.