What Happens After Your Global Entry Interview?

After your Global Entry interview, most applicants are approved within one to two business days, and many walk out of the enrollment center already approved with a Known Traveler Number in hand. From that point on, your Trusted Traveler Programs account at ttp.cbp.dhs.gov is the hub for everything: your approval status, your KTN for TSA PreCheck, activation of your physical card when it arrives, and any follow-up if something goes sideways.

When You’ll Get a Decision

CBP’s stated window is one to two business days after the interview, though a lot of applicants get the answer before they leave. The Department of Homeland Security puts it directly: if you’re approved “either at the end of the interview or shortly afterward, you’ll immediately be enrolled into the program and be given your PASS ID/Known Traveler Number (KTN).”¹ That number posts to your TTP account the moment approval clears.

Some applications go into additional review. In that case, your TTP dashboard will show a status like “Pending Review.” CBP doesn’t publish a maximum wait for these files. If a couple of weeks pass without movement, contact the CBP Info Center at 1-877-227-5511 or submit a question through the online portal.²

Start Using Your Known Traveler Number Right Away

The most immediately useful thing you get is your PASS ID, which is also your Known Traveler Number. It’s a nine-digit number that unlocks TSA PreCheck at domestic security checkpoints, and you can start using it the same day you’re approved. Add it to the KTN field in every airline reservation from here on.³

One catch trips people up. PreCheck won’t appear on your boarding pass unless the name in your airline reservation exactly matches the name you used during enrollment, middle name or initial included, and your date of birth has to match too. For trips you’ve already booked, call the airline to add the KTN and confirm those fields. You can find your PASS ID on the back of your Global Entry card once it arrives, or by logging into your TTP account before then.³

The Physical Card: Delivery and Activation

CBP mails a Global Entry card to the U.S. address on your application. New members generally receive it two to four weeks after approval.⁴ Without a U.S. mailing address, you can route it to a designated U.S. contact or pick it up at an enrollment center.

Once it arrives, activate the card within 30 days or it won’t work at trusted traveler lanes. Log into your TTP account and click “Activate Membership Card” under Program Memberships.⁴ If you fly only, it’s easy to put this off; the physical card isn’t used at airport kiosks. But it matters the first time you cross a land or sea border.

Using Global Entry at the Airport

When you land on an international flight, skip the regular customs line and go to the Global Entry kiosks. The process takes about a minute:

Slide your machine-readable U.S. passport or lawful permanent resident card into the kiosk’s reader. The physical Global Entry card is not used here.
Look at the camera, then place four fingers on the fingerprint scanner.
Answer the customs declaration questions on screen. You still have to declare everything you would on the paper form, including goods purchased abroad, agricultural products, and currency over $10,000.
Confirm the airline, flight number, and departure city displayed.
Take the transaction receipt and hand it to the CBP officer at the exit.

If the receipt has an “X” printed across it, CBP wants to talk to you further. Head to the nearest CBP booth for secondary inspection. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong; it can be random or triggered by something you declared.⁵

CBP also offers the Global Entry Mobile Application, which lets you submit your travel document and a photo through your smartphone before you reach the inspection area. Travelers who successfully use the app don’t need to stop at a kiosk or portal at all.⁶ It’s available at most major U.S. international hubs and several preclearance locations abroad.

Land and Sea Crossings

The physical card is what matters at land and sea ports of entry. It carries an RFID chip and works at SENTRI and NEXUS vehicle lanes when entering the United States.⁷ It’s also a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant document, which satisfies the ID requirements at those crossings.

Two boundaries to know. To drive through SENTRI lanes, you have to register your vehicle with CBP and complete a separate vehicle inspection at a SENTRI enrollment center. And while your card lets you use NEXUS lanes entering the U.S., it doesn’t work for entering Canada through NEXUS lanes; that requires a separate NEXUS membership.⁸

If You’re Denied

Not every interview ends in approval. The denial notice posted to your TTP account will usually explain why. Common reasons include criminal history (even old or minor offenses like a DUI), past customs or immigration violations such as failing to declare goods, and incomplete or inaccurate application information. Sometimes the letter is vague and simply says you don’t meet eligibility requirements.

If you think the denial rests on inaccurate or incomplete information, you can file a Reconsideration Request through your TTP account using the “Request Reconsideration” button under Program Memberships. Your request goes to the CBP Ombudsman and needs to include:⁹

The date of denial and the reason shown in your notification letter.
A written explanation clarifying a record, explaining an incident, or correcting information CBP may have gotten wrong.
Disposition documentation in PDF format for all arrests or convictions, even if they were expunged.

You can attach any other supporting documents you think would help. The $120 application fee is non-refundable regardless of the outcome.¹

Keeping Your Membership

Global Entry membership lasts five years.¹⁰ It isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it benefit, though. CBP can revoke membership at any time if you violate customs regulations, get arrested, or otherwise stop meeting the program’s low-risk traveler standard. The triggering violations are sometimes minor: forgetting to declare food at a kiosk or failing to report goods purchased abroad has cost people their membership. An arrest, even without a conviction, can lead to immediate revocation.

You can start renewal up to one year before your expiration date. Renewal costs $120 and is submitted through your TTP account. CBP may waive the interview for renewals, though some members are asked back in. The new expiration date runs five years from the original expiration, not from whenever you renew, so early renewal costs you nothing.¹⁰

Late, Lost, or Damaged Cards

If your card hasn’t arrived after four weeks, confirm the mailing address in your TTP account and contact the CBP Info Center. The delay doesn’t stop you from using Global Entry at airports or TSA PreCheck; both work with your passport and KTN while you wait.

If the card is lost or stolen, request a replacement through your TTP account under “Manage Membership” and “Request for Global Entry Card.” The replacement fee is $25. Requesting a new card deactivates the old one immediately. A damaged card is replaced for free. If the card simply isn’t reading correctly, visit a Global Entry enrollment center.¹¹

1
Department of Homeland Security. Global Entry – Frequent International Travelers
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Contact Us
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TSA. How to Use TSA PreCheck Benefits
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Information Guide
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Global Entry Mobile Application
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Card
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Using Global Entry Card in the SENTRI or NEXUS Lanes
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Application Denial
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Lost, Stolen or Damaged NEXUS, SENTRI, or Global Entry Card