Frequent flyers across southwest Virginia will soon be able to complete their Global Entry interviews close to home. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed on 4 February that it will run a two-day mobile enrollment event at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) on 26–27 March 2026. Conditionally approved applicants—both first-timers and renewals—can book appointments starting today via the Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) portal.
The pop-up model has become CBP’s primary strategy for tackling an interview backlog that still tops 300,000 applicants nationally. At major hubs such as Washington Dulles and Charlotte, waits can exceed eight months. By flying interview teams to secondary airports, CBP clears hundreds of cases in a single trip while saving travelers the cost of an extra flight or hotel stay.
For employers that rely on rapid cross-border mobility—especially defense contractors and tech firms clustered along Virginia’s I-81 corridor—the temporary site is a boon. Global Entry membership not only expedites re-entry into the United States but also includes TSA PreCheck, shaving precious minutes off domestic business itineraries.
![Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport Secures First-Ever Global Entry Pop-Up Interviews]()
Travelers who still need to sort out visas or passport renewals before their next overseas trip can streamline that paperwork, too. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) guides U.S. residents through every step of visa and passport processing and can answer questions about how those documents interface with Global Entry eligibility, making the entire international travel process more seamless.
Applicants must still pay the US$120, five-year membership fee and bring required documents (passport, proof of residence, and any prior criminal documentation) to the interview. CBP officials said slots typically fill within 48 hours. Companies planning group enrollments are advised to act immediately or request a dedicated corporate block through CBP’s Event Request Program.
While pop-ups are not a permanent fix to Trusted-Traveler bottlenecks, CBP data show they have reduced average wait times by 22 percent in markets that hosted at least one event last year. Additional spring pop-ups are expected in West Virginia, Alabama and upstate New York.
The pop-up model has become CBP’s primary strategy for tackling an interview backlog that still tops 300,000 applicants nationally. At major hubs such as Washington Dulles and Charlotte, waits can exceed eight months. By flying interview teams to secondary airports, CBP clears hundreds of cases in a single trip while saving travelers the cost of an extra flight or hotel stay.
For employers that rely on rapid cross-border mobility—especially defense contractors and tech firms clustered along Virginia’s I-81 corridor—the temporary site is a boon. Global Entry membership not only expedites re-entry into the United States but also includes TSA PreCheck, shaving precious minutes off domestic business itineraries.
Travelers who still need to sort out visas or passport renewals before their next overseas trip can streamline that paperwork, too. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) guides U.S. residents through every step of visa and passport processing and can answer questions about how those documents interface with Global Entry eligibility, making the entire international travel process more seamless.
Applicants must still pay the US$120, five-year membership fee and bring required documents (passport, proof of residence, and any prior criminal documentation) to the interview. CBP officials said slots typically fill within 48 hours. Companies planning group enrollments are advised to act immediately or request a dedicated corporate block through CBP’s Event Request Program.
While pop-ups are not a permanent fix to Trusted-Traveler bottlenecks, CBP data show they have reduced average wait times by 22 percent in markets that hosted at least one event last year. Additional spring pop-ups are expected in West Virginia, Alabama and upstate New York.
