CBP Retires the Global Entry App for 2026

US Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that, from September 15, 2026, it is retiring its separate Global Entry mobile app and its Trusted Traveler Programs app in favor of a single, combined Trusted Traveler mobile app. The change is a consolidation of the apps travelers use to manage their membership, not a change to the underlying Trusted Traveler Programs themselves, which continue to operate as before.

What is actually changing

CBP’s official guidance states that the existing Global Entry and Trusted Traveler Programs mobile applications stop functioning on September 15, 2026, replaced by one unified app covering the agency’s trusted traveler offerings. Current users sign into the new application with their existing credentials, and CBP states that profile and membership information transfers across to the replacement app automatically rather than requiring travelers to re-enroll or submit new paperwork.

What is not changing

Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST remain separate, individually administered Trusted Traveler Programs with their own distinct purposes, application processes and benefits. This change affects the mobile app travelers use to manage those memberships, not the programs or existing membership status themselves. Travelers who already hold Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST membership do not lose that status or need to reapply because of this app consolidation. TSA PreCheck, a separate expedited screening program administered through the Transportation Security Administration rather than CBP, is not part of this app change at all, and travelers should not confuse the two programs when deciding whether an app update affects their specific membership.

Part of a wider shift in how CBP processes arrivals

The app consolidation arrives alongside a broader shift in how CBP handles arrival processing at major airports. The agency has been removing the kiosk based system many international travelers are familiar with, where arriving passengers scanned a passport at a kiosk, completed a customs declaration on screen, and carried a printed receipt to a CBP officer. That process is being replaced at many airports with a smartphone based system built around facial recognition matched against a traveler’s enrollment biometrics, reducing the role of physical kiosks in the arrival process.

A separate biometric change already in effect

Distinct from the app consolidation itself, a biometric verification change took effect on December 26, 2025, requiring updated biometric verification procedures for Global Entry participants, including new enrollees, existing members and green card holders, upon entry to the United States by air, land or sea. Travelers with existing Global Entry membership should expect this updated verification step regardless of which app version they are using at the time of travel.

How this fits a broader regional shift toward biometric processing

CBP’s move is part of a wider pattern of biometric and digital processing changes affecting travelers on both sides of a typical Mexico or Caribbean resort trip. Cancun International Airport has separately expanded its own biometric e-gates to speed immigration processing for arriving passengers, and Mexico has introduced its own digital tourist form for air arrivals. None of these systems are directly connected to each other, each is run by a separate government agency with its own enrollment process, but together they reflect a consistent direction across the region: arrival and departure processing is shifting from paper forms and manual kiosks toward phone based and biometric verification, a trend worth expecting to continue rather than treating any single change in isolation.

What travelers heading to a resort trip should actually do

Travelers planning international travel on or after September 15, 2026 should update to CBP’s new combined Trusted Traveler app ahead of their trip rather than relying on the older Global Entry app, which stops functioning on that date. Confirming that your membership and profile information has transferred correctly to the new app before departure, rather than discovering an issue at the airport, is the most practical step to take. Beyond the app itself, travelers should expect the broader shift toward smartphone based, facial recognition driven processing to continue expanding across major US airports regardless of which specific trusted traveler program they hold.