How to Appeal a Global Entry Denial (Reconsideration)

Many people search for how to “appeal” a Global Entry denial or revocation. The official route is a reconsideration request to the CBP Trusted Traveler Ombudsman, made through the Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) website. It’s the route the Global Entry regulation names for contesting a denial or a removal, and it’s open both to applicants, including those never scheduled for an interview, and to members whose membership was revoked (8 CFR 235.12(k)(2)).

What “appeal” means here

This isn’t a court case or a hearing. The regulation says the redress processes are “wholly discretionary on the part of CBP” and don’t create or confer any legal right (8 CFR 235.12(k)). In practice that changes how you write: you are giving a reviewer accurate, complete, easy-to-check information, not arguing law. CBP’s pages list no fee for a reconsideration request.

If your problem is screening rather than the decision itself, such as repeated secondary inspection, fingerprints CBP told you need correcting, or being confused with someone else, DHS TRIP is the other redress route. If both apply, you can use both, and give your DHS TRIP case number in the reconsideration request.

What CBP says the request must include

CBP’s Trusted Traveler Program Denials page says requests and attachments “should be in English and must include”:

the date of denial and the denial reason(s) from your letter;
a summary of information to further clarify a record or explain an incident or arrest;
court disposition documentation, in PDF format, for all arrests or convictions, even if expunged; and/or
other supporting documentation you feel may influence the Ombudsman’s decision.

Accepted file formats are PDF, DOCX, DOC, PNG, JPEG and GIF. Because CBP asks for English, add an English translation to any record that isn’t in English, and attach the original too.

Before you write: the reason, then the records

Pin down the reason. If your letter only says “Other” or “you do not meet program eligibility requirements”, find out more before you write. Since June 2024, CBP’s letters point to an enrollment center, the CBP Information Center and a FOIA request; CBP’s FOIA page says to contact the relevant enrollment center for information on a trusted traveler denial. A 2014 CBP memo to enrollment-center officers, internal guidance CBP published on cbp.gov in 2025, says the reasons given to you “must be clear, concise, and complete” and that it “is not the appropriate action to defer to the Ombudsman’s office” when you ask for the reason. It isn’t a regulation and promises no outcome, but it’s a good reason to ask the enrollment center first. Our guide on what the letter means explains the reason categories.

Gather the records yourself. GAO reports that travelers are solely responsible for providing the documents, and that the Ombudsman doesn’t obtain court or police records for you (GAO-24-106314, p. 24 and footnote 39). Vetting databases can show an arrest without showing how it ended, which is why CBP asks for a disposition for every arrest, even an expunged one. Typical records:

a certified court disposition for each arrest or charge, and any expungement or sealing order;
for a customs or agriculture penalty, the penalty notice or receipt and proof it was paid;
your own CBP travel and inspection records, through a FOIA request, if you have no paperwork or the letter doesn’t match your memory;
your FBI Identity History Summary, which CBP’s FAQ explains how to request and challenge.

Start the slow requests first, in the same week. Court clerks and FOIA offices set the pace for everything else.

How to submit it

Log in at ttp.dhs.gov with Login.gov and open your Dashboard.
In Program Memberships, find the program that was denied or revoked and select Request Reconsideration. The TTP FAQ says the button appears if you’re eligible to file; if it’s missing, ask TTP Support at help.cbp.gov.
Enter your explanation, attach your letter and records, and submit. Save a screenshot or PDF of the confirmation.
Watch your email and Dashboard. CBP notifies you of status changes by email and posts the decision letter to your account.

If the online text box is short, one practical approach is to paste a brief summary there and attach the full letter as a PDF. For how the letter itself is laid out, block by block, see our sample reconsideration letter, explained.

Can you email or call the Ombudsman?

The request itself goes through the online system. The regulation says a reconsideration request is submitted through the online TTP System “or other CBP-approved process” (8 CFR 235.12(k)(2)), and CBP’s pages point to the Request Reconsideration button on your Dashboard, as above. None of the CBP pages the kit relies on gives an email address or phone number for the Ombudsman. Questions go elsewhere: TTP Support and the CBP Information Center take them at help.cbp.gov, and the Information Center’s phone number is (877) 227-5511, or (202) 325-8000 from outside the U.S. For the reason behind your decision, start with the enrollment center: the 2014 memo above says requests to the Ombudsman for the reason for a denial are “outside the scope of the Ombudsman’s office”.

Templates for each reason, and two complete worked letters

The kit includes four reconsideration letter templates by reason (customs or agriculture, arrest or criminal record, no specific reason, administrative error), plus an enrollment-center request, a FOIA request, a court-records request and a supporting-documents checklist. Two complete letters for fictional travelers show the structure and tone.

Get the kit for $49 Read part of a worked letter

33-page guide, 8 Word templates and a planner. You adapt and submit everything yourself.

Writing a request a reviewer can check

A reviewer reads your request next to CBP’s own records. GAO describes the Ombudsman’s guidance as generally weighing how long ago an offense happened, how severe it was, and whether you’ve kept a clean record since (GAO-24-106314, p. 25). The regulation also says the risk decision rests partly on your ability to demonstrate past compliance with laws, regulations and policies (8 CFR 235.12(b)(2)). So a good request does two things: it corrects anything wrong in the record, and it shows compliance since the event.

Quote the letter exactly. The date and the reason, word for word, including any category label.
Match your documents. Use the same names, dates and case numbers as your records, and number each attachment in the order the letter mentions it.
Cover everything. Incomplete information on the application is itself a disqualifying factor, so a request that skips part of your history can’t fix it. Cover every arrest, citation or violation, not just the one you think triggered the decision.
Stay factual and calm. Don’t speculate about CBP’s motives, argue constitutional rights, or call the decision unfair without saying what is inaccurate.
Keep it short. About a page is usually enough; the attachments carry the proof.

Not a U.S. citizen, including a green-card holder? Speak to an immigration lawyer before you describe any arrest, drug-related conduct, customs or immigration violation, or application omission to CBP. A written statement to CBP can have consequences beyond Global Entry.

What can happen next

GAO’s review names four outcomes:

Outcome (GAO’s terms)	What it means
Sustained	The denial or revocation stands.
Approved to enroll	After a denial, you’re allowed into the program.
Reinstated	After a revocation, your membership is restored.
Unset	The denial is cleared so you can attend an interview with a CBP officer. It isn’t approval yet.

GAO reports that the Ombudsman decides at its sole discretion, on the totality of the circumstances and any new information, and that the decision is final unless new or previously undisclosed disqualifying information appears (GAO-24-106314, pp. 24–25). Make your first request count.

The published figures we rely on are GAO’s: from fiscal year 2020 through the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, the Ombudsman reviewed 76,183 reconsideration requests and decided about 39 percent in the traveler’s favor. That 39 percent includes nearly 16 percent where the denial was “unset” for an interview, which isn’t approval. It’s an average across every reason and every CBP program, not anyone’s personal odds.

How long does reconsideration take?

CBP’s published guidance gives no deadline for filing a reconsideration request and no processing time for the Ombudsman, so any timeline you read elsewhere is an estimate. Check your own letter for any date it gives. The parts you can plan are your own: how long the records take to arrive (ask each court clerk), and the official FOIA time rules if you request your CBP records.

If the denial stands

A denial or revocation doesn’t prevent you from applying again (GAO-24-106314, footnote 40), and there’s no published waiting period, but a new application is vetted from scratch and costs the full $120 again. It tends to fit best when the facts have changed: a charge dismissed, a record corrected, a DHS TRIP case resolved, or a lot of time passed. For repeat denials after reconsideration, complex records, or anything involving pending charges or immigration status, consider a lawyer; no lawyer can guarantee a result either, because the decision is discretionary whoever writes the request.

From your letter to a complete request

Start from the exact wording of your letter, gather the records the kit’s checklist lists for your reason, and adapt the matching template. The planner turns official time rules and your own estimates into dates for your calendar.

Get the kit for $49 Decode your letter first

Independent, not affiliated with CBP, DHS, TSA or any government agency. No outcome is promised.

Official sources

This guide is general information about processes the U.S. government publishes. It is not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with CBP, DHS, TSA or any government agency. Nothing here predicts or promises an outcome.