Global Entry Applicants Can Once Again Schedule In-person Interviews

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reopened enrollment centers for Global Entry on Tuesday after they were closed for over five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CBP will re-roll out the interviews by scheduling in-person appointments for conditionally approved Global Entry applicants, the agency announced in a press release shared with Travel + Leisure. Most Trusted Traveler Program enrollment centers throughout the country will be available for interviews.

However, interviews for NEXUS and U.S.-Canada FAST programs are still suspended. Enrollment for the agency’s SENTRI program, which allows for expedited entry from Canada and Mexico, along with its FAST-South program may also be limited, according to CBP.

The land border between Canada and the U.S. remains closed for non-essential travel until at least Sept. 21.

The enrollment centers were initially shut down in March before CBP initially planned for a July and then August reopening. The agency’s Enrollment on Arrival program, which allows conditionally approved applicants to complete the process if they are flying into a U.S. airport from an international flight, never shut down.

Going forward, when applicants do visit an enrollment center, they will find masked CBP personnel, plexiglass barriers or facial shields, and the elimination of things like sign-in sheets. Applicants will also be required to wear masks “consistent with CDC recommendations and state and local mandates” and appointments will be staggered or reduced with limited seating in the waiting areas, according to CBP.

Fingerprints, however, will continue to be required as part of the interview process.

While enrollment in programs like Global Entry have restarted, the deadline for Real ID driver’s licenses and ID cards, which require an in-person visit to the DMV, has been extended until October 2021. When the REAL ID’s do go into effect, travelers will either need a Real ID-compliant license or a passport to board a domestic flight.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she’s not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.