Global Entry interview deadline extended - again

[JustCurious]

For those who have been conditionally approved for Global Entry, also known as the Trusted Traveler Program, the CBP has again extended the period of time that conditionally approved applications will remain active until you complete the interview. Normally you have 12 months from the date that you are conditionally approved to complete the interview, the deadline was previously extended to 16 months, and it has now been extended to 18 months... 545 days to be precise.

In order to minimize the impact of the enrollment centers closure on Trusted Traveler Programs applicants, CBP further extended the period of time that applicants have to complete the enrollment process. Every applicant now has 545 days from the date that CBP conditionally approves his or her application to complete the enrollment process. In addition, CBP will extend for up to 18 months the program benefits of members who apply for renewal before their current membership expires.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/nation...-trusted-traveler-programs-enrollment-centers

 

[cathy63]

... In addition, CBP will extend for up to 18 months the program benefits of members who apply for renewal before their current membership expires.
[/I]
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/nation...-trusted-traveler-programs-enrollment-centers

Hmm, on my renewal it looks like they're only giving me 12 months. My status has been "Pending Review" since I submitted it on July 14. This is what it says on my TTP Dashboard:

Due to a significant increase in application volume, we are extending the grace period from 6 months to 1 year for any submitted renewal application. This means you will continue to receive full benefits for 1 year while U.S. Customs and Border Protection is finalizing your renewal application.

 

[Dd852]

How close were you to expiry? My wife and I filed for renewal a few months back on the same day. She was due to expire in December and got approved within a week. I don’t expire until April and I’m still in “pending”. And I’m a MUCH lower security risk than she is!

 

[cathy63]

My G.E. expires on my birthday in January, so I had 6 months to go when I renewed. DH is in the same status and his expires in December. I'm not too worried about it since it seems like we'll be in the grace period for the entirety of next year.

I'm surprised you were able to submit a renewal more than 6 months in advance though.

 

[braumeister]

I'm glad this thread popped up because it made me realize that I need to renew my passport this year. Due to some planned travel in 2021, I'll be too close to the six month limit so it's better to get it done now while international travel is still impossible.

Just got back from the post office, $140 poorer, plus $7.75 for postage. Well worth it though!

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I'm glad this thread popped up because it made me realize that I need to renew my passport this year. Due to some planned travel in 2021, I'll be too close to the six month limit so it's better to get it done now while international travel is still impossible.

Just got back from the post office, $140 poorer, plus $7.75 for postage. Well worth it though!

I have a family member due for renewal in close to 6 months, and I was thinking the same thing, but where did you do the replacement photo? Did you take it yourself? That's the one thing holding up their renewal, we usually go to a CVS or something, but we're trying to avoid shared indoor spaces as much as we can.

 

[braumeister]

I have a family member due for renewal in close to 6 months, and I was thinking the same thing, but where did you do the replacement photo? Did you take it yourself? That's the one thing holding up their renewal, we usually go to a CVS or something, but we're trying to avoid shared indoor spaces as much as we can.

DW just took my photo against a plain wall with my iPhone. We have a color laser printer and I just put a sheet of photo paper in it, printed it out at the required size, and cut to fit the application form.

If you don't have a good color printer, you could just send the jpg file in to a printing service and have them mail the print back to you. We like Nations Photo Lab but there are plenty of services that do this.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

DW just took my photo against a plain wall with my iPhone. We have a color laser printer and I just put a sheet of photo paper in it, printed it out at the required size, and cut to fit the application form.

If you don't have a good color printer, you could just send the jpg file in to a printing service and have them mail the print back to you. We like Nations Photo Lab but there are plenty of services that do this.

Thanks, braumeister! We've got a pretty good inkjet (HP Envy 5660), so I might try it myself. I knew that this is something that you can DIY, it's just that since it's once every 10 years, I guess I decided decades ago to pay someone else do it.

 

[Dd852]

My G.E. expires on my birthday in January, so I had 6 months to go when I renewed. DH is in the same status and his expires in December. I'm not too worried about it since it seems like we'll be in the grace period for the entirety of next year.

I'm surprised you were able to submit a renewal more than 6 months in advance though.

You’re allowed to submit a renewal a year in advance. It is worth doing because the mere act of filing gets you a grace period (usually six months, now 12).

 

[audreyh1]

I'm glad this thread popped up because it made me realize that I need to renew my passport this year. Due to some planned travel in 2021, I'll be too close to the six month limit so it's better to get it done now while international travel is still impossible.

Just got back from the post office, $140 poorer, plus $7.75 for postage. Well worth it though!

Let us know when you get it back. Mine expires in Jan. I can’t send in a renewal until October as the passport is not with me.

 

[TrvlBug]

I have a family member due for renewal in close to 6 months, and I was thinking the same thing, but where did you do the replacement photo? Did you take it yourself? That's the one thing holding up their renewal, we usually go to a CVS or something, but we're trying to avoid shared indoor spaces as much as we can.

DH and I took our photos against the wall and IIRC, it gets attached to your online application. No need to print out the photo. I might be mistaken though...the gray matter isn't as robust as in my younger years .

Never mind, I was referring to the GE, not passport renewal.

 

[braumeister]

Let us know when you get it back. Mine expires in Jan. I can’t send in a renewal until October as the passport is not with me.

Dept of State says they are currently processing applications received in April, so I'm not expecting it any time soon. I'll update my status when I get it.

 

[cathy63]

You’re allowed to submit a renewal a year in advance. It is worth doing because the mere act of filing gets you a grace period (usually six months, now 12).

I did not realize you could do the renewal a full year in advance. They sent out the emails to both of us right on the 6-month dates, so I had thought that's when the renewal window opened. Thanks for the info. Hopefully it will be useful for next time.

 

[OldShooter]

i mentioned this in another thread but I'll mention it again.

I renewed my GE last year about this time and was given an interview slot in April of this year. That was well after expiration and after a planned Africa trip in February. DW renewed a couple of weeks later and was given a slot in January, apparently because someone cancelled. So I started checking once in a while and when a December 2019 slot showed up I grabbed it.

The DHS promises of automatic extensions are just fine and probably reliable but I didn't want to drag up to a GE machine after a 12 hour flight and find out that, in my case, the extension didn't exist.

So, anyone concerned about this might benefit from periodic checking of available appointment slots.

 

[braumeister]

So, anyone concerned about this might benefit from periodic checking of available appointment slots.

That has always been the case. Early in the program, we were able to knock months off the wait for an appointment by checking for cancellations every few days.

 

[Scrapr]

another trick is to find enrollment centers close by. Mine would be Portland. But they had zero slots open for a year. So I started looking around. PHX had slots in February. Lots of slots. Hmmm...Arizona in February? Weather might be nice. Book it Danno