U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Friday that it plans to reopen its Global Entry enrollment center at Los Angeles International Airport on July 6, but its Long Beach enrollment center will be permanently closed.
Officials said the area’s single enrollment center location at LAX will streamline the process while ensuring the health and safety of U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees and applicants for the program, which allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers returning to or arriving in the United States via automatic kiosks at select airports.
Conditionally approved applicants for Global Entry must schedule enrollment center interviews in advance using a Trusted Travelers Programs account and will be allowed to complete in-person interviews, starting July 6, at LAX’s Global Entry Enrollment Center, officials said.
Employees will be required to wear agency-approved masks when interacting with the public at enrollment centers, with all applicants for the program also required to wear face coverings consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations and state-mandated requirements.
Applicants will notice staggered or reduced appointment availability, reduced seating in waiting areas, the elimination of sign-in sheets and certain other touch points, plexiglass barriers at service counters and other measures to promote social distancing, officials said.
CBP will continue to require that all applicants submit fingerprints during their interview to complete the enrollment process.
Specific health and safety measures may vary among enrollment centers based upon the physical layout of the facility and other considerations.
On March 19, Customs and Border Protection temporarily suspended operations at its Trusted Traveler Programs, which include Global Entry, to minimize the risks of exposing travelers and employees to the coronavirus.
The agency’s Enrollment on Arrival program — which allows Global Entry applicants who are conditionally approved to complete their interviews upon arrival into the United States — has remained operational during that time.