Global Entry Remote Interview: Eligibility, Scheduling, and Process

The Global Entry remote interview is a video-call option that lets eligible renewing members finish their required CBP interview from home in about 15 minutes, using Zoom for Government, instead of traveling to an enrollment center.¹ As of 2026 it is still a pilot, and it is open only to renewals. First-time applicants cannot use it and must either attend an in-person appointment or complete Enrollment on Arrival after an international flight.

Who Can Use the Remote Interview

You need to clear four gates to qualify:¹

Your renewal application has already cleared the background check and shows as conditionally approved in the Trusted Traveler Programs portal.
You are 18 or older. Minors cannot do the video interview even with a parent on the call.
You have a photo on file with CBP that was taken within the past 10 years and after you turned 14.
You have fingerprints on file from your original enrollment. The video format cannot capture biometrics, so prints have to be there already.

The age and fingerprint requirements are the ones that most often knock people out. If any of the four is missing, you’ll need to book an in-person slot at an enrollment center or use Enrollment on Arrival.

Documents to Have Ready on Camera

The officer will ask you to hold documents up to your webcam and will verify each against your digital profile. Have these within arm’s reach before the call starts:¹

Your valid passport. If you travel on more than one, bring all of them so the officer can attach each to your file.
Proof of residency showing the address in your application: a driver’s license, mortgage statement, rental payment, or utility bill.
Your permanent resident card, if you are a lawful permanent resident.

Before the interview, log into the Trusted Traveler Programs portal through Login.gov and confirm your employment history and residential addresses for the past five years are accurate. A mismatch between what your profile says and what your documents show can cause delays or a denial, and sorting it out mid-call usually means rescheduling.

Scheduling a Video Slot

Once your renewal status flips to conditionally approved, open your application in the Trusted Traveler Programs portal and go to the scheduling dashboard. Pick the remote interview option to filter out enrollment center appointments and show only virtual openings, then set your time zone so the slot lands at the correct hour. The portal then generates a confirmation page with your date, start time, and instructions for the virtual waiting room.

Slots go fast, but new ones surface constantly as other applicants cancel. Checking back every few days beats settling for an inconvenient time.

What Happens on the Call

The interview runs on Zoom for Government, a secure video platform used across federal agencies.¹ You’ll join a virtual waiting room a few minutes before your scheduled time and stay there until a CBP officer admits you. Test your camera and microphone in advance; technical trouble at the start burns your interview window.

Once you’re admitted, the officer will ask you to hold your passport’s biographical page up to the camera, followed by your proof of residency and any other documents. They’ll check the details against your application, then ask questions about your travel history and the background information you submitted. The whole thing typically takes around 15 minutes.¹ At the end, the officer will tell you the final decision will post to your online portal rather than being given verbally on the call.

There is no additional fee at the interview. The $120 Global Entry application fee, which has applied to both new applications and renewals since October 2024, is paid at submission.²

After the Interview

Approval decisions usually post to your Trusted Traveler Programs dashboard within one to two business days, though cases that need extra review can take longer.³ Once you’re approved, the system generates your Known Traveler Number (also called your PASSID), and you can start adding it to airline reservations immediately.

Your KTN is what activates TSA PreCheck on domestic flights. Put it in the KTN field when booking so the PreCheck indicator prints on your boarding pass.⁴ The physical Global Entry card, which follows by mail, is a secondary form of identification; the benefits themselves are linked electronically to your passport. The card can arrive in as little as 8 to 10 business days, but delivery sometimes takes 6 to 8 weeks. If nothing has shown up after eight weeks, use the “Card Never Received” option in your dashboard to verify your address and request a replacement. Replacing a lost or stolen card afterward carries a $25 fee.³

One follow-up matters more than people realize: when you get a new passport, log back into your account and click “Update Documents” to enter the new number.⁵ Forgetting this step is a common reason kiosks reject travelers who are otherwise in good standing. A name change with the new passport can’t be handled online and requires an in-person visit to an enrollment center.

If the Remote Option Isn’t Available to You

First-time applicants and renewers who can’t clear the four gates have two paths. One is a standard in-person appointment at an enrollment center. The other is Enrollment on Arrival, which folds the interview into your next international return trip.

With Enrollment on Arrival, once your application is conditionally approved, you complete your interview at a participating airport when you land from abroad. After deplaning in the international terminal, follow the signs to CBP officers who conduct the interview as part of your admissibility inspection.⁶ Bring the same documents you would need for a remote interview: valid passport (all of them if you hold more than one), proof of residency, and a permanent resident card if applicable. There’s no separate appointment to schedule, but you’re doing the interview after a long flight, and a short-staffed airport may not be able to accommodate you that day.

Renewal Timing to Keep in Mind

Global Entry membership runs five years and expires on your birthday.³ You can submit a renewal application up to one year before that date. File before your expiration and CBP allows your benefits to continue for up to 24 months past expiration while the renewal is being processed. Let the membership lapse before submitting, and you lose access to Global Entry kiosks and TSA PreCheck until the renewal clears. The remote interview only comes into play once your renewal reaches conditionally approved status, so filing early gives you the widest choice of video slots.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Remote Interview Pilot for Trusted Traveler Programs
2
Federal Register. Harmonization of the Fees and Application Procedures for the Global Entry and SENTRI Programs and Other Changes
3
Trusted Traveler Programs. Frequently Asked Questions
4
Transportation Security Administration. What Is a Known Traveler Number (KTN)?
5
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
6
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. What Is Enrollment on Arrival?