Just a Heads Up for Those Interested in Global Entry

[shofer]

I just recently renewed my Global Entry and no appointment was necessary. Answer some updated questions and paid my money. Received my approval 24 hours later.

 

Tried to get DH to do this and he is not interested. We'll see what happens in FLL.

 

Sue

[mitz18]

After provisional approval we had to wait only 3 weeks for appointment times in Philadelphia. I guess it varies widely by location. The wait time was also about the same if we went to NY.

 

about how long did you have to wait between application (ie payment) and prov approval?

[Luvcrusn]

about how long did you have to wait between application (ie payment) and prov approval?

I had to wait a week and DH had to wait two weeks.

 

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Edited September 26, 2018 by Luvcrusn

[Baron Barracuda]

Absolutely amazed at these long wait times. When we did ours two years ago at EWR there was virtually no wait. Appointments were available 7 days a week at 20 minute intervals from I believe 7am to 9pm. Four appointments available per time slot.

[fumita]

We were told the next appointment was months away too. Went down to the office and were done in less than an hour same day.

[Traveling Library]

We applied in January 2016. We needed 2 B2B appointments. Originally booked a Saturday appointment for April and then, even though the online calendar said it was OK, learned that interviews in Boston were only weekdays/normal business hours. In Feb rebooked day appointments in Boston for July. Looked every day for 2 appointments in BOS and PVD but never caught a break. Went in July. Interviews, fingerprints, etc. Asked "how long for approval?" and was told several days. Nope. The approval emails were in our email box by the time we got home an hour later. Best money we've ever spent. Used GE in Canada and Pre-check numerous times. I'll renew this in a heartbeat.

[Coral]

I just recently renewed my Global Entry and no appointment was necessary. Answer some updated questions and paid my money. Received my approval 24 hours later.

 

Tried to get DH to do this and he is not interested. We'll see what happens in FLL.

 

Sue

 

I sure hope that this happens to me! We don't have a place in our state to get approved.

 

I am probably 4 hours away from getting to an enrollment center and it is not open full time.

[bobndee]

We got our GE approvals just yesterday. It took about 5 or 6 weeks from application to conditional approval (i.e. time for an interview).

 

Our closest interview site is Charlotte airport. The first day we tried to schedule interviews it said there were none available - period - regardless of how far out we looked. So we booked times at Dulles airport. The following day we checked Charlotte again and found literally dozens of available slots. So we grabbed two for yesterday and away we went.

 

Traffic was good, so we got to the airport early. We went to the GE office, signed in, were interviewed and finished before our scheduled interview times. Received the approved email before we got home.

 

The moral of the story - keep checking for interview slots, the on-line booking page isn't always correct.

[2theship]

Because we were going to be in DC, we got our appointments at Dulles pretty quickly. Unfortunately, an old speeding ticket stopped DH from getting his until he cleared it up. By that time, we were back home in Central Ohio and he had to choose between Detroit or Cincinnati for interviews and both required a significant wait.

 

Can anyone mention how much time Global Entry saved you when coming back to the U.S. I'm looking at flights home from Rome, and my options are Chicago, Newark, and Dulles for my layover.

We've returned to the US through PHL and DTW. Both times we breezed through, just walking straight to a kiosk while the rest of the plane lined up. If you travel outside the US with any frequency, it's definitely worth the bother.

[ChuckL]

Has anyone recently gone through the process of getting Global Entry in Detroit and how long did it take?

 

 

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[gfkcruiser]

We did it within the last year. Went to office near ambassador bridge. Took very little time to do. Created online account. Applies online. Received approval and made my interview appt.

 

 

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[Turtles06]

Can anyone mention how much time Global Entry saved you when coming back to the U.S. I'm looking at flights home from Rome, and my options are Chicago, Newark, and Dulles for my layover.

 

Five years ago, my wife and I flew into Newark from Buenos Aires. We arrived very early in the morning; so did a packed flight from Israel. We waiting in an enormously long line for over an hour to get through Customs/Immigration. Someone else on our flight had Global Entry -- which my wife and I had not heard of back then -- and she was through immediately. Submitting our Global Entry applications was about the first thing my wife and I did when we got home. :D

 

It's worth it for TSA Pre-check alone.

[JBSteelerfan]

I just recently renewed my Global Entry and no appointment was necessary. Answer some updated questions and paid my money. Received my approval 24 hours later.

 

Tried to get DH to do this and he is not interested. We'll see what happens in FLL.

 

Sue

 

Good to hear it was that easy. Hoping we have the same renewal process when that time comes.

[Turtles06]

Good to hear it was that easy. Hoping we have the same renewal process when that time comes.

 

My wife and I renewed our GE earlier this year. The renewal application is submitted on line and, in most cases, that's the end of it and your new card arrives in the mail. Very easy. However, I was called for an interview. I had no problem getting an appointment. What I learned from the agent who interviewed me is that some people renewing GE are randomly selected for an interview. That's what I suspected, since there was nothing that had changed about me since I'd received my initial GE approval that would have created a red flag, and my wife and I had traveled to the same countries in that time. At an rate, it was no big deal (the agent told me on the spot that my GE was being renewed), but definitely easier if you don't win the come-for-an-interview lottery! ;p

[CruiserFromMaine]

We got GE a couple years ago. It was a very long wait to get an appointment at Boston Logan. So we had a flight going through JFK that we booked with a long layover and did the interviews there. Very quick and got approved right there. I think the cards came later but we got our KTNs that day.

 

Coming back through JFK from Europe on a later trip there were hundreds if not thousands of people in line at passport control, and it was hot. We were in the GE “line” with four people ahead of us. It was great! It was $100 well-spent just for that trip alone. Getting TSA precheck for five years is great too.

 

I recommend it.

[Wingman2010]

My wife and I just completed our GE. We also were looking at a several month wait for our interviews but were lucky in that we happened to have an international trip scheduled immediately after we received our conditional approval. If you have received conditional approval, and you happen to be returning from an international trip, you can complete your interview (without an appointment) at the airport you are reentering the country through. We only had to wait like 30 minutes.....

[phoenix_dream]

Just took my son about 3 weeks or so to get his interview in Chicago fyi

[Pushkin]

Another thumbs up for Mobile Passport app. We have GE, but not knowing they were mutually exclusive, I completed our trip details on Mobile Passport on our last trip. I attempted to enter the GE line, but was told that since I did MP, I couldn't use GE. I was not happy, but the MP line only had about 10 people (vs. 100 or so regular line) so it was fine.

 

Bottomline - for anyone who doesn't have GE, MP is great -- can't beat free! Just realize, MP is not available at very many airports at the moment.

[Pushkin]

With respect to GE appointment wait times -- Cincinnati was terrible (at least last year) with waits of approx. 6 months. I was going to New Orleans on a trip - got an appointment only a couple of weeks out.

[Pushkin]

With respect to GE appointment wait times -- Cincinnati was terrible (at least last year) with waits of approx. 6 months. I was going to New Orleans on a trip - got an appointment only a couple of weeks out.

[mnocket]

My wife and I just completed our GE. We also were looking at a several month wait for our interviews but were lucky in that we happened to have an international trip scheduled immediately after we received our conditional approval. If you have received conditional approval, and you happen to be returning from an international trip, you can complete your interview (without an appointment) at the airport you are reentering the country through. We only had to wait like 30 minutes.....

I think it depends on the location. Walk-ins without an appointment are not welcome at some locations (like Denver).

[IndyCruisers]

Hubby and I live in Denver and had same issue as many from this area have stated. We were heading to NYC and lo and behold found appts at JFK on teh way home. Now we use it all the time. TSA Pre and GE. Love it.

[TriMomma]

I was checking for a Detroit appointment this week to update my Nexus (which includes GE) and could get one next day. Not sure if they keep different waiting lists for new applications and updates, but I was surprised how quickly I could get in. Port Huron, Mich was next day as well.

[Wingman2010]

I think it depends on the location. Walk-ins without an appointment are not welcome at some locations (like Denver).

 

 

There is a difference between being a walk-in and being at customs because you are returning from an international trip.

 

After getting our conditional approval letters, we got a subsequent email telling us that an interview appointment wasn't necessary IF we would be coming back into the states from an international flight. All we had to do was tell a passport control agent who then directed us to the final interview area....

[Wine-O]

There is a difference between being a walk-in and being at customs because you are returning from an international trip.

 

After getting our conditional approval letters, we got a subsequent email telling us that an interview appointment wasn't necessary IF we would be coming back into the states from an international flight. All we had to do was tell a passport control agent who then directed us to the final interview area....

 

That makes a little bit of sense. They call it an interview, but I didn't think it was any type of interview. It was just to provide your passport and get your fingerprints. That's about all I remember. So if you can do that when you return from a trip, that sounds reasonable.