If you’ve been slogging through standard customs lines since late February, the wait is over. Global Entry kiosks went live again at 5 a.m. Eastern this morning, and Trusted Traveler processing is back at participating airports across the country.
The 17-day outage was frustrating enough on its own. What made it worse was that it didn’t have to happen.
What Caused the Shutdown
On February 22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection suspended Global Entry processing at airports nationwide. The move came as part of emergency cost-cutting during a partial Department of Homeland Security funding lapse that had been in effect since mid-February.
The logic, at least as presented, was that CBP officers assigned to Global Entry would be redirected to process the general traveling population. In practice, Global Entry is designed to require fewer staff resources per traveler, not more. Shutting it down didn’t free up capacity. It created bottlenecks.
TSA PreCheck was also briefly targeted for suspension around the same time, but the backlash was swift and DHS reversed that decision almost immediately. Global Entry wasn’t so lucky. It stayed offline for over two weeks while the funding standoff continued.
To make things worse, Mobile Passport Control, the app-based shortcut that normally serves as a solid backup for clearing customs faster, was also suspended at several airports during the same period. So if you were arriving internationally, there was no expedited lane available at all. Just the standard queue, no matter what you’d paid for or signed up for.
What’s Back and What To Check
As of this morning, Global Entry kiosks are operational again. If you have international travel coming up, you’re good to use your Known Traveler Number at arrival.
A few things worth checking:
Enrollment interviews were also paused during the shutdown. If you had an appointment scheduled between February 22 and today, it may have been canceled or needs to be rescheduled. Log into the Trusted Traveler Programs portal to check your status.
Renewal applicants should do the same. If your membership expired during the outage and you were waiting on an interview to finalize your renewal, get back into TTP and confirm everything is still on track.
Conditional approval holders who were waiting for their interview slot may find that availability opens up quickly now that enrollment centers are resuming operations. Worth checking frequently over the next week or two.
How To Get Global Entry Without Paying Out of Pocket
Global Entry runs $120 for a five-year membership. That’s a reasonable price for what you get, but there’s no reason to pay it yourself if you’re carrying the right card.
A number of popular travel credit cards reimburse the Global Entry application fee automatically. You apply through TTP, pay with your eligible card, and the statement credit posts within a billing cycle or two. No forms, no calling in, no hoops.
The credit typically resets every four years, which lines up neatly with the program’s five-year renewal cycle. Here are two of our favorite cards that offer this:
If you’re not sure which of your cards includes the benefit, check your card’s benefits page or call the number on the back. It’s one of the most straightforward travel card perks to use.
The Bigger Picture
The shutdown exposed a real vulnerability for anyone who relies on Trusted Traveler programs. Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, and Mobile Passport Control are all government-administered, and they can all be paused when funding gets political. That’s not a reason to skip enrollment. The value is still there, and the cost is effectively zero if you have the right card. But it’s a reminder that these programs exist at the discretion of federal agencies, and disruptions are possible.
If you don’t have Global Entry yet, this is a good time to start the process. Enrollment centers are back up, the backlog from the shutdown should clear relatively quickly, and the $120 fee is one of the easiest travel expenses to offset with a credit card you may already have.
And if your membership is current? Nothing to do but enjoy the shorter line next time you land.
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