TTPRADARStart with the letter. CBP posts its denial or revocation notice to your account on the Trusted Traveler Programs portal, and the stated reason is the thing you have to answer. Everything else in a reconsideration request is built around it.
This guide covers the steps that the official sources we can cite support. Where they stop, we say so rather than guess.
Step 1: Find and read the decision letter
Log in to the Trusted Traveler Programs portal at ttp.dhs.gov. The decision letter is posted to your account there. Read the stated reason before you write anything.
Current letters should be better than older ones. A GAO audit found that CBP's denial and revocation letters had lost required instructions on how to learn more about the specific reason. The instructions were dropped by accident in a 2018 portal update, and CBP reported fixing this in June 2024.
Updated letters point you to three routes for more detail:
- A Trusted Traveler enrollment center
- The CBP Information Center
- A FOIA request
If the letter leaves you guessing about what triggered the decision, use one of those routes first. A response aimed at the wrong issue is a wasted response.
Step 2: Know who decides
The CBP Ombudsman decides whether to uphold or overturn a denial or revocation. GAO reports that the Ombudsman has sole discretion, so there is no formula that guarantees a result.
The Ombudsman considers the totality of circumstances and any new information you provide. That second part is the one you control.
Step 3: Add new information, do not repeat the application
Resending what CBP already reviewed gives the Ombudsman nothing new to weigh. Your request should explain the circumstances behind the reason in the letter and back it up with documents that clarify the record.
Pair each document with a short, plain explanation of what it shows.
Keep the tone factual. State what happened, what the record shows, and why it bears on your eligibility. Skip the argument about how unfair the process feels.
What the sources do not settle
We could not find an official, citable source for several things people ask about, so we are not going to invent answers.
- How to submit. The sources we can cite do not describe the filing steps or format requirements. Follow the instructions in your letter.
- Timing. No source we can cite gives a processing timeframe for reconsideration. Plan on waiting, and do not plan around a date.
- Fresh application versus waiting. We found no official guidance on when starting over beats waiting for a decision. Treat anyone who gives you a firm rule with caution.
- TSA PreCheck. We found no official confirmation of what happens to PreCheck after a Global Entry revocation. Check the TSA PreCheck page or your account rather than assuming.
While you wait
Keep your portal account accessible, since that is where CBP posts its notices. Hold on to copies of everything you submitted.
Denials are the exception. GAO found that CBP enrolled or renewed over 97 percent of Trusted Traveler applications from fiscal year 2020 through the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, across Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST. That does not make your case easier, but it shows you are in a small minority.
If you end up applying again, our Global Entry guide library covers the interview appointment part of the process.