Global Entry Name Change: Passport, CBP Submission, and Fees

To complete a Global Entry name change, you first need a new passport that shows your updated legal name, then submit a name change request to U.S. Customs and Border Protection either through its online customer support portal at help.cbp.gov or by visiting a Global Entry enrollment center in person. Your Trusted Traveler profile has to match your current passport exactly, and until it does, your kiosk clearance and TSA PreCheck benefits stop working reliably.

Get the New Passport Before Anything Else

CBP requires you to upload a color image of the photo page of your updated passport as part of the name change request, so the passport has to exist before you start.¹ Showing up at an enrollment center without one means nothing gets processed.

Because State Department passport processing runs on its own timeline, apply for the new passport as soon as your name change is legally finalized. You’ll already need your marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order for the passport application, so keep those documents accessible for the Global Entry step that follows.

Submit the Name Change to CBP

A name change is not a self-service update. The TTP dashboard’s “Update Documents” feature handles a new passport number on its own, but changing the name on your profile takes an extra step through CBP.² There are two routes.

Online Through CBP Customer Support

Go to help.cbp.gov, select “Trusted Traveler Programs” as the topic, and pick “Change my name due to marriage/divorce/legal” as the issue. Upload a color image of the photo page of your new passport with the request.¹ Straightforward name changes can be resolved this way without a trip to an enrollment center.

In Person at an Enrollment Center

CBP’s Global Entry FAQ states that name changes involving a passport update require a visit to a Global Entry enrollment center.² No appointment is required for profile updates, though members with scheduled enrollment appointments are helped first.¹ Bring the new passport and your supporting legal document: marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order.

Given the mixed guidance, the practical move is to submit the online inquiry first. If CBP can handle it remotely, you’re done. If not, they’ll direct you to an enrollment center.

Fees and the Physical Card

A name change does not restart your five-year membership and does not require paying the $120 Global Entry application fee again.³

The physical Global Entry card is a separate matter. That card is used at SENTRI and NEXUS land border lanes, not at airport kiosks.⁴ CBP charges $25 to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged card, but CBP does not explicitly state that a name change requires ordering a replacement card or paying that fee.² If you only use Global Entry at airports, the card may not matter to you. Ask the CBP officer during your update whether a replacement is necessary for how you actually travel.

Update Your Airline Profiles and Reservations

This is the step people skip, and it undoes the rest. Your Global Entry profile, your passport, and your airline reservation all have to show the same name. If they don’t match, the system can’t connect your Known Traveler Number to your boarding pass, and PreCheck won’t populate.⁵

Once your Global Entry profile is updated:

Log into each airline loyalty account and update both your legal name and your Known Traveler Number. The name stored in that profile is what feeds your Secure Flight data at booking.
Contact each airline directly about tickets already booked in your old name. Carriers treat this as a name correction rather than a passenger transfer, but every airline has its own process and its own time limits. Some won’t make changes within 24 hours of departure.

The name on the reservation has to match the ID you’ll hand the TSA officer. Old name on the reservation plus new name on the KTN means the two won’t link.

What Happens While the Update Is Pending

Between getting your new passport and finishing the Global Entry update, your passport says one name and your Trusted Traveler profile says another. That mismatch breaks your automated benefits.

At Global Entry kiosks, a name mismatch produces a referral to a CBP officer at a passport control booth for manual processing instead of automated clearance.² For domestic flights, TSA is direct: if you change your name and don’t update your membership to match, you will not receive TSA PreCheck benefits until the name change process is completed.⁶

You can still travel. You’ll just go through the standard customs line and regular TSA screening until the update is complete. For frequent travelers, that’s reason enough to move quickly.

Permanent Residents and Partner-Country Members

Global Entry is open to lawful permanent residents and to citizens of several partner countries, and the name change process is the same: upload a color image of the photo page of your current passport reflecting the new name when submitting the inquiry to CBP.¹ Your membership stays valid if a passport expires, but you cannot use the benefits at airports or land crossings until the new passport is in the system. A name change combined with an expired passport is two problems that both need fixing before the benefits come back. A change in citizenship status is separate; that update cannot be done online and requires an in-person visit to an enrollment center.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Programs – Frequently Asked Questions
2
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How to Apply for Global Entry
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Card
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TSA Enrollment by Idemia. Help Center
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Transportation Security Administration. My Personal Information Has Changed – How Do I Update My Information So That I Can Continue to Receive TSA PreCheck?