To renew Global Entry, log in to the Trusted Traveler Programs portal at ttp.dhs.gov within the year before your membership expires, update your information, and pay the $120 fee. The application takes about ten minutes, and most renewals no longer require an in-person interview. One deadline drives everything else: submit before your current membership expires. That single action triggers a 24-month grace period during which your Global Entry and TSA PreCheck benefits keep working while CBP processes the renewal.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions Miss it, and your benefits stop the day your card lapses.
When You Can Start
Global Entry membership runs five years, and you become eligible to renew one year before the expiration date on your card or in your TTP account.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions Starting early matters because the 24-month grace period only applies if CBP receives your renewal before your current membership expires. Inside that grace window, you keep using Global Entry kiosks and PreCheck lanes normally, even if processing drags on for months.
Let the expiration date pass without submitting, and there is no grace period. Benefits stop immediately. You can still apply after expiration, but you lose access to expedited screening and kiosks until CBP approves you again, and that gap can run weeks or months. A calendar reminder six to twelve months out is the simplest guard against an accidental lapse.
Filling Out the Application
Everything happens online through the TTP portal. Log in, and once you’re inside the one-year window, the dashboard shows a renewal option alongside your membership status. The form is a streamlined version of the original enrollment application. You’ll confirm or update your address, employer, and any countries visited in the past five years.
Update Your Passport First
If you’ve renewed your passport since your last enrollment, add the new one to your TTP account before you submit the renewal. Select “Update Documents” from the account dashboard and enter the new passport number, issue date, and expiration date.2U.S. Department of State. DHS Trusted Traveler Programs Skipping this is one of the most common causes of processing delays. CBP cross-checks the passport against your application, and a mismatch can stall the file or trigger an interview that would otherwise have been waived.
Get the Details Right
Small discrepancies slow renewals down more than anything else. A name change from marriage or a court order needs to be reflected. So does any interaction with customs, immigration, or law enforcement since your last enrollment. CBP will find those regardless, and an omission usually reads worse than the underlying issue.
The $120 Fee
The renewal fee is $120, non-refundable, and matches the initial enrollment fee. You pay by credit or debit card when you submit, and the application will not move forward until the payment clears.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry
Before paying out of pocket, check your credit cards. Several travel cards reimburse the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee as a statement credit when the charge posts to the card, and TSA maintains a list of participating cards on its website.4Transportation Security Administration. Credit Cards and Loyalty Programs Featuring TSA PreCheck The credit usually posts within one or two billing cycles.
What Happens After You Submit
CBP runs a background check on the application. If it clears, your TTP account status changes to “Conditionally Approved.” This is where renewals split from new enrollments: most renewal applicants have the interview waived and go straight to final approval, sometimes within days.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
If an interview is required, a notification appears in your TTP account directing you to schedule one at an enrollment center. CBP generally requires interviews for renewal applicants with significant changes since the last enrollment, such as new criminal charges, customs violations, or extended residency abroad. Check the account periodically after submitting, because that’s where CBP communicates the decision.
Enrollment on Arrival as a Shortcut
If you need an interview and have international travel booked, Enrollment on Arrival is the easiest option. Instead of hunting for an appointment at an enrollment center, you complete the interview with a CBP officer during the normal customs inspection when you land in the U.S. from an international flight.5U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Enrollment on Arrival It adds only a few minutes to arrival. Not every airport with Global Entry kiosks offers it, though. CBP lists over 70 airports with Global Entry processing, but some don’t have enrollment center staff.6U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Airports with Global Entry Confirm on CBP’s airport list before counting on it.
Approval and the New Card
Once CBP grants final approval, your new five-year membership starts immediately. The updated status and expiration date show up in your TTP account, and CBP sends an email confirmation. A new Global Entry card is mailed to the address on file, so confirm the address before submitting.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
The physical card mostly matters at land and sea ports along the Canadian and Mexican borders, where it works at SENTRI lanes and kiosks. For air travel, you don’t need the card. Airport Global Entry kiosks read your passport or use fingerprints, and your PreCheck eligibility is tied to your Known Traveler Number, which stays the same across renewals.
If Your Renewal Is Denied
Denials do happen, and CBP is required to explain the reason in writing.7U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Program Denials Common triggers include new criminal convictions, customs or immigration violations, false information on the application, and undeclared items at previous international arrivals. Even minor agricultural violations, such as an undeclared piece of fruit, have led to revocations.
If the denial rests on incorrect information, you can file a redress inquiry through the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP), the formal channel for correcting government records that affect travel privileges. The $120 fee is not refunded for denied applications, so it’s worth resolving anything outstanding, like a customs penalty, before you apply rather than after.