Global Entry Offices Closed Due to Government Shutdown

If you have a Global Entry interview scheduled for the near future, you might want to check your email. Though the U.S. State Department is still processing passports, it appears that the shutdown of the federal government has caused the shuttering of all Global Entry offices, meaning if you're applying for or renewing your membership in this expedited customs clearance program, you could be out of luck for the time being.

In an email forwarded to TPG by a reader, Customs and Border Protection said that the reader's appointment — which was scheduled at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) — had been canceled due to the government shutdown. In the email, CPB says that all Global Entry Enrollment Centers are temporarily closed, and that the reader should reschedule their appointment "after US government operations resume."

CPB makes no mention of Global Entry Enrollment Centers being closed on its website. The current notice simply states:

NOTICE: Due to the lapse in federal funding, this website will not be actively managed. This website was last updated on December 21, 2018 and will not be updated until after funding is enacted. As such, information on this website may not be up to date. Transactions submitted via this website might not be processed and we will not be able to respond to inquiries until after appropriations are enacted.

There are no signs of a resolution to the shutdown coming any time soon. If you have an appointment at a Global Entry Enrollment Center keep an eye on your email to see if your appointment has been canceled — and even if you haven't received an email, don't count on the appointment happening before full government operations resume.