What Does the Global Entry Background Check Include?

The Global Entry background check runs your identity and fingerprints against criminal, law enforcement, customs, immigration, agriculture, and terrorism databases at the federal, state, local, and international level, with no time cutoff on how far back CBP can look.¹ Arrests count, not just convictions. Expunged records count. And CBP has sole discretion to deny anyone it can’t confirm is low-risk, which makes the bar higher than most applicants expect.

What CBP Actually Checks

CBP runs your name, date of birth, and biometric fingerprints against a broad set of databases covering criminal history, prior law enforcement contacts, customs and immigration compliance, agricultural violations, and terrorist watchlists, including Interpol data.¹² This is broader than a typical employer background check in two ways that matter.

First, the reach. Federal, state, local, and international records are all in scope. Second, the timeframe. There is no seven- or ten-year window. CBP can review your entire life history.

The check also isn’t limited to convictions. Arrests, pending charges, outstanding warrants, prior visa overstays, customs penalties, and agricultural fines all surface and all get weighed. CBP is trying to build a picture of whether you consistently follow the law, not just whether you’ve managed to avoid a courtroom.

The Seven Factors That Can Sink Your Application

Federal regulation lists the grounds CBP uses to deny applicants. One detail is worth reading carefully: the regulation says applicants “may not qualify” if any factor applies, so CBP weighs severity and recency rather than applying a rigid checklist. There is also no guaranteed safe harbor, because the last factor is a catch-all.³

Providing false or incomplete information on the application. CBP treats dishonesty as a separate disqualifying issue on top of whatever you failed to disclose.
An arrest or conviction for any criminal offense, felony or misdemeanor, in any country. This includes pending charges and outstanding warrants. A DUI, a shoplifting charge from college, or a decades-old drug arrest all fall within this factor.
Customs, immigration, or agriculture violations, such as failing to declare food at the border, overstaying a visa, or paying a civil penalty for undeclared goods.
Being the subject of an ongoing law enforcement investigation by any federal, state, or local agency in any country, even if no charges have been filed.
Inadmissibility to the United States, including anyone who has ever needed a waiver of inadmissibility or parole to enter.
Known or suspected connections to terrorism, including financing, preparation, or support.
Failure to demonstrate low-risk status. This is CBP’s catch-all: even if none of the other factors clearly apply, CBP can deny anyone it can’t satisfy is genuinely low-risk.

Expunged and Old Records Still Show Up

This is the trap that catches the most applicants. State-level expungements seal your record from most civilian background checks, but they don’t erase federal database entries. CBP runs federal-level checks that include FBI records, and those records typically still show arrests and dispositions regardless of what a state court later did.

The application specifically asks whether you have ever been arrested or had charges expunged or removed. Answer “no” because you assume the expungement means it never happened, and CBP can deny you for providing false information, a disqualifying factor on its own, in addition to whatever the underlying offense was. CBP’s own reconsideration process requires applicants to submit court disposition documents “for all arrests or convictions, even if expunged.”¹ Disclose everything, and bring documentation to your interview.

How Long the Check Takes

CBP says initial vetting normally happens within two weeks of submitting your application.⁴ Roughly 80% of applicants clear that window and can schedule an interview.⁵ Applications that need manual review, particularly those with criminal history in the file, can take 12 to 24 months.

If the background check clears, your status changes to “conditionally approved.” That doesn’t mean you have Global Entry yet. It means you’ve passed database screening and can move on to the in-person interview, where a CBP officer verifies your identity and can ask about anything the check flagged.⁶

If CBP Denies You

A denial isn’t necessarily final. If you believe the decision rests on inaccurate or incomplete information, you can file a Reconsideration Request through your Trusted Traveler Programs account. Log in, go to Program Memberships, and select “Request Reconsideration.”⁷

Include the denial date and reason from your notification letter, a summary of the circumstances, and court disposition documents for every arrest or conviction, including any that were expunged. CBP doesn’t publish a filing deadline, but submitting while records are still easy to gather helps. It also doesn’t publish a response timeline, so expect to wait.

If you think the denial comes from incorrect records in government databases rather than a judgment call by CBP, the Department of Homeland Security’s Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) is a separate channel for correcting inaccurate biographic or biometric data.⁸ The $120 application fee is nonrefundable regardless of the outcome, so it’s worth confirming the underlying facts before reapplying.

The Check Doesn’t End at Approval

One thing applicants often miss: approval isn’t permanent. CBP conducts ongoing vetting of existing members, and the same disqualifying factors apply throughout your five-year membership. A new arrest, a customs violation, or becoming the subject of an investigation can trigger suspension or revocation.³ Lawful permanent residents who lose their immigration status also lose eligibility. If your membership is revoked, CBP will post a notification to your TTP account explaining why.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Program Denials
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Transportation Security Administration. Disqualifying Offenses and Other Factors
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eCFR. 8 CFR 235.12 – Global Entry Program
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How Long Does It Take to Process a Global Entry, SENTRI, NEXUS, or FAST Application
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Department of Homeland Security. Official Trusted Traveler Program Website
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Program Application Status
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Application Denial
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Department of Homeland Security. Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP)