Global Entry Renewal: Is Another Interview Required?

CBP's own answer is "maybe." Its Global Entry FAQ says an interview for a membership renewal "may not be necessary" — and nothing you do while filing decides it. CBP decides, after your application is in, and the only way to find out is to watch your Trusted Traveler Programs account.

Here is what CBP publishes about renewing Global Entry, and what to do in either outcome.

When you can renew

You become eligible one year before your membership expires. CBP's Global Entry FAQ puts it in those words: "You become eligible to renew your membership one year prior to program expiration."

Missing that window is not a bar. The TTP FAQ adds the part people miss: "You may also renew your membership after it has expired."

Renewal is not a lighter version of the process. You log in to your TTP account, associate your PASSID with the account if it is not already associated, and submit a new application from the Dashboard. It is a new application in the literal sense — which is also why the fee comes back.

The fee is $120, again

CBP's how-to-apply page states that "a $120 non-refundable fee is required with each completed application." A renewal is a completed application, so the fee applies exactly as it did the first time.

The same page gives CBP's processing spread for applications generally: around 80% are approved within two weeks, while some take twelve months or longer. CBP does not break renewals out separately, so that is the planning window you have.

Filing before expiry is what protects your benefits

"If you submit a renewal application before your membership expires, you will be able to continue to use benefits up to 24 months after your membership expiration date."

That is CBP's Global Entry FAQ. A renewal filed in time keeps your benefits working while the application sits in review — for up to two years past the date printed on your card.

Notice what the sentence conditions on: submitting before expiry. CBP publishes no equivalent continuation for a renewal filed after a membership has already lapsed. It says only that renewing late is permitted. So a late renewal is allowed; an early one is protected.

So, is another interview required?

CBP's Global Entry FAQ gives the whole official answer in two sentences: "An interview for program membership renewal may not be necessary. Once you submit your renewal application and fee, check your TTP account periodically for updates on what actions are necessary."

CBP's help center is more direct about who decides: an interview may be required upon renewal, and that is determined by the vetting center. Not by you, and not by anything in the application itself.

Two practical consequences follow.

Do not book anything speculatively. There is nothing to book until CBP says an interview is needed, and a slot held for a requirement that never arrives is one another applicant needed.
Watch the account, not the inbox. CBP's TTP FAQ describes the pattern: when an application's status changes, "you will receive an email stating to check your account for a change in status," and a letter explaining the change is posted on your Dashboard. The email is only a prompt to go and look; the letter is the actual notice. Make sure the address on file is one you read.

If an interview is required, there are three ways to do it

1. A remote interview, if you qualify

CBP runs a remote interview conducted by video, and renewing Global Entry members are the group it covers today: "Some renewing Global Entry members who are conditionally approved are eligible." NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST renewals are being brought in through a phased approach. First-time applicants are not yet eligible, so this route is open to you only because you are renewing.

CBP's published requirements are that you:

are conditionally approved for a Trusted Traveler Program renewal;
are at least 18 years old;
have a photo on file taken within the past ten years and after you turned 14; and
have previously submitted fingerprints to CBP.

The interview runs on Zoom for Government and takes roughly fifteen minutes. You need a camera and a microphone, and the same documents an in-person interview asks for: your passport or passports, evidence of residency, and your permanent resident card if applicable. A virtual waiting room opens fifteen minutes early, from the TTP dashboard or the CBP One app. CBP asks that you verify your email address before scheduling, so the details reach you.

2. Enrollment on Arrival

If an international trip is already on your calendar, this is the shortest path there is. Enrollment on Arrival lets a conditionally approved applicant complete the interview when they land, during the normal admissibility inspection, with no appointment at all. You follow the signage in the international terminal to CBP officers who finish the interview as part of your inspection.

Two rules decide whether you can use it. Your conditional approval must already be in hand — CBP answers "Can I participate in EoA if I haven't received my Conditional Approval yet?" with a flat "No." And it has to be an international arrival: a domestic flight that departs from, arrives at or connects through an Enrollment on Arrival airport does not count, because "only those who are entering the U.S. Customs and Border Protection area after arriving from an international flight can participate."

Bring your passport or passports, evidence of residency — a driver's license showing your current address, a mortgage statement, a rental payment statement or a utility bill — and your permanent resident card if applicable. Hours differ by terminal and change, so check CBP's page for your airport, and see our guide to Enrollment on Arrival airports and rules.

3. An enrollment center appointment

The conventional route, booked through your TTP account. Three things are worth knowing before you use it.

Reschedule, never cancel. CBP's TTP FAQ is explicit: "canceling an appointment could cause your application to be cancelled. To avoid having your application cancelled, you should reschedule instead of canceling."
Conditional approval has a deadline. "You must complete enrollment within 730 days of receiving your conditional approval. Not scheduling and completing the interview will result in cancelation of the application and no refunds will be granted." Two years sounds generous, and it passes.
Bring more than your passport. Your PASSID, which is printed on the conditional approval letter you can download from the Dashboard; a second form of identification; your permanent resident card if applicable; and any documents you provided as part of the application. If you were ever fingerprinted as part of an arrest or incident, bring the associated court documents. The Interview Confirmation link on your Dashboard lists what your appointment requires.

Your passport expiring does not end your membership

This worries renewing members more than it should. The TTP FAQ settles it in one line: "Your Trusted Traveler membership date is not dependent on the passport expiration date." The two dates are independent, and a passport that expires before your membership does not shorten it.

If an interview is required and nothing is available nearby

This is where a renewal stops being paperwork and becomes a scheduling problem. Availability differs sharply between enrollment centers — staffing, opening hours and local demand all pull in different directions — so the center closest to you is often not the one with the nearest date.

Compare them before you settle. Our wait times page lists every U.S. center by how far out its next appointment sits, and the state pages group them geographically, such as Texas or New York, which is the quickest way to see whether a center ninety minutes away is months ahead of the one down the road. If you would rather not refresh the scheduler by hand, an alert service can watch the centers you pick and tell you when something opens.

The tactics that shorten the wait are the same ones first-time applicants use — see how to get an earlier Global Entry interview — except that you have two routes they do not: the remote interview and, on your next international landing, Enrollment on Arrival.

This guide was last checked against CBP's published guidance on September 15, 2026.

The short version

You can renew from one year before your membership expires, and you can still renew after it has expired.
File before expiry and CBP continues your benefits for up to 24 months past the expiration date. It publishes no such continuation for a late filing.
The fee is $120 again, non-refundable — a renewal is a new application.
An interview "may not be necessary." CBP's vetting center decides after you file, so check your TTP account rather than guessing.
If one is required, you have three routes: a remote video interview (renewals only), Enrollment on Arrival on your next international landing, or an enrollment center appointment.
Reschedule rather than cancel, and finish within 730 days of conditional approval.
Your passport's expiration date has no bearing on your membership date.

If your renewal comes back conditionally approved and you are not sure what the letter is asking of you, see what happens next after conditional approval.

By US Global Entry Team