Pandemic closes Trusted Traveler enrollment centers
My global entry interview appointments keep getting canceled. I cannot travel internationally so I can’t come through customs and immigration to complete the interview process. Has the the 1-year completion deadline been extended or do I have to reapply for global entry?
– The Real GNC, Chicago
The bad news is that the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Trusted Traveler Program Enrollment Centers will remain closed until at least Sept. 8 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that the deadline has indeed been extended.
“All applicants now have 485 days from the date that CBP conditionally approves their application to complete the enrollment process,” the Customs & Border Protection website says. “In addition, CBP will extend for up to 18 months the Trusted Traveler Program benefits of members who apply for renewal before their current membership expires.”
I suggest you stay in contact and schedule an appointment at the earliest date you can. Also, some of CBP’s airport-based enrollment centers are open so check their list of participating sites to see if there’s one near you.
I did my last Global Entry renewal after the last government shutdown and the renewal process took several months since they were struggling to keep up with demand.
Hopefully, this situation will improve after the pandemic subsides.
I have visitors who frequently fly from San Diego to Houston, and recently one of their return flights took them over parts of Mexico. There was bad weather at the time but I have never tracked strictly domestic flights flying south of the U.S. border before. Am I missing something or does this routinely happen?
– Bryan Corbin, La Pore, Texas
It is routine to fly over the border with Mexico on eastbound flights from Southern California. It is possible to overfly Canada during a domestic flight and then cross back into U.S. airspace.
Operators plan flights to be as efficient that they can. If that planning includes crossing a border, it, is done and is not a problem. This can also occur when avoiding thunderstorms.
Provided you are under instrument flight rules and talking with air traffic controllers, there is no international paperwork needed.
John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.