Unlock Free Global Entry for Your Child: Easy Steps Every Parent Should Know

No one appreciates the relatively carefree days of jet-set travel as a solo traveler or couple more than the former solo traveler or couple who now has kids. You suddenly require more resources, everything you do takes at least twice as long, and an entire world of wonderful restaurants to try and foods to taste instantly narrows to places that make chicken nuggets. After an exhausting vacation abroad, you have the added challenge of getting everyone and their luggage back home safely without spending an extra couple of hours at the airport convincing border agents that you’re not a threat to the U.S.

In October 2024, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection made Global Entry enrollment free for children of current or applying adult members, it was not the kids but their parents who rejoiced. But is getting your child Global Entry a bureaucratic nightmare that takes a long time, requires a ton of paperwork, involves a grueling interrogation, and sours you on international travel? Not at all! It’s quick and easy. Here’s what you need to know and how it works on paper and in real life.

Global Entry Requirements for Children

You can apply for Global Entry at the age of 1 day — technically, you could apply for your kid’s Global Entry membership as soon as they pop out of the womb, though you should probably focus on more pressing matters at that moment.

Anyone under 18 who applies must have a parent’s or legal guardian’s consent to enroll in the program, though children aren’t required to have a parent in the program to apply.

How To Enroll a Child in Global Entry

For your child to enroll in Global Entry, he or she must create a Trusted Traveler Programs account with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

You or your child must then log in to the TTP account and complete the application, filling out questions accurately and uploading documentation that proves their eligibility for the program, including proof of citizenship, like a passport. CBP waives the enrollment fee if one of your child’s parents or legal guardians is an applicant to or a member of Global Entry. If not, the fee is $120.

Your child should receive an email after a few weeks. When I applied for my son in early November 2024, we got the notice of pending approval in early March 2025.

Here’s the email we received from CBP saying his Global Entry enrollment was almost complete:

At this point, we only needed to complete my kid’s interview and present the supporting documentation.

The standard required documentation for adults includes valid passports (all the ones you travel with), a permanent resident card, if applicable, evidence of residency (like a driver’s license or utility bill with your name and address on it), and court documentation stating the charge, severity, and final outcome of any arrests or convictions.

Most kids don’t legally drive, pay utility bills, or have a criminal record, so the CBP clarified outside the letter that none of those forms of documentation are required at the formal interview for children applying for Global Entry. However, what child applicants do need that adults don’t is a parent or legal guardian to be present during the interview. In my son’s case, that was me.

So, besides my son’s passport, we only needed to make an appointment for his final interview.

That was easy to do. After logging in to my son’s TTP account, I clicked on the most recent message in the notifications bar. You can also navigate to the appointment page by pulling up a list of Global Entry enrollment sites by state.

Clicking on the most convenient one for us — John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) — pulled up a somewhat sluggish calendar that showed available interview times in the following weeks in 10-minute increments.

I picked a time, confirmed it, and got this screen. Note the brown condition bar on top:

Digging through his account brought up a page with the status of his application and details about his interview, including when and where it was to take place, as well as more links for rescheduling or canceling it.

My Son’s Interview Experience at JFK

On the interview day, I took my son and his passport, along with my own ID, to Terminal 4 at JFK. The Global Entry enrollment center entrance is across from the closed-down diner and is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. It’s near the west-southwest side of the terminal on the arrivals floor (to the right if you’re facing the terminal from the street outside).

By the time we arrived, a short line of applicants had formed, and a security guard came out occasionally to collect the passports of every interviewee. The guard only took my son’s U.S. passport, but I didn’t need to bring mine.

The guard let in the first group of people, who had interviews scheduled for noon. We waited outside in line for about 10 minutes and then were led inside on time.

Inside the entrance was a tiny waiting room with a prominent sign reminding visitors that cell phones were prohibited inside. We waited for maybe 2 minutes, tops, before someone announced my son’s name over a tinny public announcement system.

We walked into the next (narrow, windowless, somewhat claustrophobic) room, past a row of desks with bored-looking Global Entry officers processing applicants, to the last desk. There were chairs, but my son had to stand to have his photo taken.

What happened next took less than 3 minutes:

• The agent took my kid’s photo with a webcam.
• He asked me (not my son) my son’s full name.
• He asked me for my son’s birthdate.
• He asked me what our address was.
• He returned my kid’s passport.
• He said the Global Entry membership was now active, and we’d receive the physical card within a couple of weeks.

And that was it. Even my son commented happily on how quick it was and then asked if we could get the biggest possible order of chicken nuggets nearby.

Later that day, when we got home, the condition bar at the top of what was now called his “program memberships” list (formerly the “applications in progress” list) on my kid’s TTP home screen had already turned green:

We haven’t received the card to activate yet, but I’m keeping an eye out.

Final Thoughts

Getting a Global Entry membership for your kid, if you have it yourself, is free, easy, and relatively painless, and the interview itself is remarkably quick and efficient. If you are a Global Entry member and travel internationally with your family, enrolling your child is a no-brainer.