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If your Global Entry membership is expiring or if you’re planning on applying for the first time, you better be patient. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is saying that current processing can take up to 11 months.
The number of travelers applying for Global Entry has nearly doubled since 2022 with 317,000 new members being added monthly. If you’re not aware, Global Entry is a program that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers expedited border clearance upon arrival into the United States through automatic kiosks and soon at select airports via an app (more here).
Although it could take up to 11 months for processing, CBP is reporting that 33% of applicants were enrolled in 60 days or less and 50% were enrolled in around 105 days in 2023.
Per a CBP spokesperson:
CBP’s Global Entry program currently has over 12.3 million users, including 9.7 million enrolled directly in GE and an additional 2.1 million other trusted traveler members with GE benefits.”
A major part of the delays encountered centers around in-person interview availability. The last step before approval is an in-person interview at an enrollment center (mostly found at US airports). Conditionally approved applicants can secure slots on the first Monday of each month at 9:00 AM. Enrollment on arrival is another option where travelers (with conditional approval) can conduct their interviews when coming into the United States from an international trip. This is available at 65 US airports.
In 2022, CBP received a record number of new applications (2.95 million) and it’s on pace for over four million in 2023. Extensions of up to two years were granted to members waiting for interviews as long as members renewed prior to their expiration dates.
Anthony’s Take: I renewed my Global Entry in January 2023 and my husband’s is up in June 2024. We’ll be working to schedule him an interview soon so that he can continue on with all of the convenience that Global Entry provides.
(Image Credits: US Customs and Border Protection.)
(H/T: The Points Guy.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
