Is Global Entry Worth It? Interview, Cost and Approval Time
Is Global Entry worth it? $120 for five years bundles TSA PreCheck with expedited customs. What the interview is like, how long approval takes, and DUI eligibility.
The short answer
Is Global Entry worth it? For anyone who leaves the U.S. more than once every five years, yes: $120 covers five years, it includes TSA PreCheck automatically, and it swaps the customs line for a kiosk. The interview itself usually runs well under 30 minutes, but CBP does not commit to a fixed number of days for the final decision that follows it.
If you’ve weighed a $120 fee against a shorter customs line, you’re not the only one trying to work out whether Global Entry pays for itself. In practice, the interview and the wait around it are what actually trip people up, not the cost.
This covers what Global Entry costs and includes in 2026, what to bring to the interview, and how long the interview and the approval decision after it actually take. It also covers whether a DUI on your record changes anything, and how to update your membership after you renew a passport.
What you need before you apply
- A valid, unexpired passport (bring every passport you travel on, so each can be added to your file; check what a U.S. passport actually costs if yours needs renewing first)
- One other government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license
- A Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) account, created individually at ttp.dhs.gov, even for a minor being enrolled
- The $120 application fee, paid online with the application, non-refundable whether you’re approved or not
- Proof of current address if your ID doesn’t show one, like a utility bill or lease
- About 10 minutes for the online application itself, then a separate interview later
What Global Entry actually includes
Global Entry gets you an expedited lane at U.S. customs and immigration on the way back into the country, usually a kiosk instead of an officer line. It’s available at nearly 90 U.S. airports and international preclearance locations, according to CBP’s current list.
Membership also carries TSA PreCheck automatically at no extra cost, so there’s no separate PreCheck application to file once you have Global Entry. It’s a customs shortcut, not a substitute for whatever visa or entry requirement your destination has, which is a separate check entirely.
TSA’s own guidance is blunt about who needs which program: if you fly internationally four or more times a year, get Global Entry; below that, TSA PreCheck alone may cover what you actually use. Is TSA PreCheck worth it on its own walks through that comparison in more detail, including its lower fee.
How much does Global Entry cost in 2026?
CBP raised the Global Entry fee from $100 to $120 on October 1, 2024, the first Trusted Traveler Program fee change since 2008, and brought NEXUS and SENTRI to the same flat $120. All three now cost the same and last five years.
| Program | Cost | Covers | Run by | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Entry | $120 / 5 years | Security lane plus expedited customs | U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Anyone who leaves the U.S. even occasionally |
| TSA PreCheck | $76.75-$85 / 5 years | Domestic security lane only | Transportation Security Administration | Domestic-only flyers |
| NEXUS | $120 / 5 years | Expedited U.S.-Canada border crossing, includes PreCheck | CBP and Canada Border Services Agency | Frequent Canada travelers |
| SENTRI | $120 / 5 years | Expedited U.S.-Mexico land border, includes PreCheck | CBP | Frequent Mexico land crossings |
Figures reflect CBP’s published fee schedule as of September 2026; check the current fee before applying, since providers and CBP can adjust it without much notice.
Is Global Entry worth it, or is TSA PreCheck enough?
If every flight you take stays inside the U.S., PreCheck is the cheaper program and does everything you need at a domestic checkpoint.
The moment international travel enters the picture, Global Entry is very likely the better deal. It includes PreCheck automatically and adds customs on the way home for about $35-$45 more over five years, depending which PreCheck provider you’d otherwise have used.
How the application process works
- Create a Trusted Traveler Programs account at ttp.dhs.gov, logging in through Login.gov.
- Complete the online application and pay the $120 fee with the submission.
- Wait for conditional approval. CBP states that about 80% of applications clear this review within two weeks, though some take up to 12 months. This is the pre-interview review stage, separate from the decision that follows the interview itself.
- Schedule your interview once conditionally approved, at an enrollment center, through Enrollment on Arrival after your next international flight, or through the Remote Interview Pilot if you’re renewing.
- Attend the interview and complete it. CBP finalizes your membership from there.
What do you need to bring to your Global Entry interview?
Bring every passport you travel on, since each one gets added to your file, plus one other photo ID such as a driver’s license. Lawful permanent residents bring their machine-readable green card.
If your ID doesn’t show your current address, bring a utility bill, lease or mortgage statement. If you were ever fingerprinted in connection with an arrest, bring the related court paperwork, and confirm your mailing address is current, since your card ships there.
None of this includes vehicle paperwork. That’s only required if you’re separately enrolling in SENTRI’s vehicle lanes, not for a standard Global Entry interview.
What is the Global Entry interview actually like?
It happens one of three ways: in person at a Global Entry enrollment center, or through Enrollment on Arrival at select international arrivals terminals right after a qualifying flight. Renewing members only get a third option, a video interview through CBP’s Remote Interview Pilot.
An officer verifies your documents and identity, confirms your address, reviews your travel history, asks a handful of straightforward background questions, and takes a fingerprint scan and photo.
Travelers who’ve been through it, including reporting from The Points Guy and NerdWallet, describe it as routine rather than adversarial for anyone with a clean record. The background check already happened before you walked in.
How long does the Global Entry interview take?
CBP doesn’t publish an official minute count. NerdWallet and Chase both report the interview itself usually runs five to fifteen minutes once you’re called in, with the full appointment, including any wait, taking up to about 30 minutes.
Enrollment center wait times before you even get an appointment are a separate issue. They vary widely by airport and season, running from a few days at quieter centers to well over a month at busy hubs like JFK, LAX or O’Hare.
How long after the Global Entry interview until you’re approved?
CBP’s own FAQ page states plainly that the final decision timeline “can vary” and tells applicants to monitor their email and TTP account rather than promising a number of days. That’s a different clock from the 80%-within-two-weeks figure above, which covers the review before your interview is even scheduled, not the decision after it.
In practice, some applicants see their TTP account update to approved before they’ve left the building; others wait days to a couple of weeks for the background clearance to finalize. Neither pattern is guaranteed, and CBP does not commit to either one.
Can you get Global Entry with a DUI?
CBP’s eligibility page lists driving under the influence by name as an example of a disqualifying offense, inside a broader category covering any criminal conviction, pending charge or outstanding warrant.
Other listed disqualifiers include giving false information on the application, any customs, immigration or agriculture violation in any country, an open law-enforcement investigation, a denied firearm purchase, and immigration inadmissibility.
That said, CBP’s review is discretionary rather than automatic for every case. Immigration and travel-law sources report that a single, older, misdemeanor DUI doesn’t always end in denial, and that recency and repeat offenses are what most reliably tip a case toward rejection.
No CBP source guarantees approval with a DUI on record. Applying with one on file means accepting a real chance of denial, with a redress and reconsideration process available afterward rather than a refund.
How to update Global Entry with a new passport
- Log in to your TTP account at ttp.dhs.gov through Login.gov.
- Open the section for updating your documents and enter the new passport’s number, issue date, expiration date and issuing country.
- Save the update. A straightforward passport-number change like this doesn’t require a new interview; only a legal name change does, since that needs an in-person identity re-verification at an enrollment center.
Until the update goes through, carry both your old and new passport when you travel internationally. A kiosk checks the passport number on file against the one you scan, and a mismatch sends you to a standard officer line instead.
If you’re renewing a passport before a trip, how long passport renewal actually takes is worth checking well before you update Global Entry, not after.
The $120 fee is never refunded, whether you’re denied at review or at the interview stage. A membership tied to an outdated passport number causes the kiosk mismatch above rather than any fine, but it puts you back in the line Global Entry was supposed to skip.
A denial can be appealed through CBP’s redress and reconsideration process, but that takes real time, so it isn’t something to start the week before a trip. None of this is a reason to guess at a document requirement; get what documents are actually needed confirmed before your appointment instead.
Renewing Global Entry before it expires
You become eligible to renew starting one year before your membership expires, at the same $120 fee, no discount for renewing versus applying fresh. CBP’s FAQ states an interview usually isn’t required for renewal, though CBP reserves the right to call for one anyway.
Renew before your card actually expires and CBP lets you keep using Global Entry and TSA PreCheck benefits for up to 24 months past the expiration date while the renewal processes. Miss that window and renew after expiration instead, and that grace period doesn’t apply.
If a passport update happened somewhere in that stretch, confirm it’s still current in your account before you fly, the same as with a first-time membership.
What to do if something isn’t working
- No update after your interview. Give it a few business days before assuming something’s wrong, since CBP itself won’t commit to a turnaround.
- No interview slot at a nearby center. Check Enrollment on Arrival on your next qualifying international flight, or the Remote Interview Pilot if you’re renewing rather than applying fresh.
- Application denied. Read the stated reason and use CBP’s redress and reconsideration process rather than reapplying and paying the fee a second time.
- Still stuck. Contact CBP through the Trusted Traveler Programs support channel on the TTP website, or ask directly at an enrollment center.
Frequently asked questions
In short
Global Entry costs $120 for five years, bundles TSA PreCheck in automatically, and replaces the customs line with a kiosk at nearly 90 U.S. airports and preclearance sites. The interview itself is usually short, and CBP just won’t put a number on how long the decision after it takes.
A DUI on your record is a real risk factor rather than an automatic disqualifier or a guaranteed pass.
Rules change without much notice. This was checked against CBP’s own published guidance in September 2026; if something here no longer matches what you were told at the enrollment center, tell us and we will correct it.
Sources
- CBP: Eligibility for Global Entry
- CBP: Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
- CBP: How to Apply for Global Entry
- CBP: Benefits of Global Entry
- CBP: CBP Reminds Traveling Public About TTP Fee Changes
- CBP: Remote Interview Pilot for Trusted Traveler Programs
- CBP: Airports with Global Entry
- TSA: What’s the difference between Global Entry, TSA PreCheck and other trusted traveler programs
