I am really not sure why I haven’t applied for Global Entry. There is the $100 dollar fee….but that’s covered by my American Express Platinum Card. Then there’s requirement to be interviewed by Customs officials…. but the government already knows plenty of stuff about me. Well, there you have it….there’s just no good reason not to apply for Global Entry, so I did.
I began by reading about the program here. The I clicked on the apply link and found myself on a website called GOES. GOES doesn’t look pretty, but it worked. I had to establish a username, and go through a quick email verification process. After that was done, I was able to begin my application. The initial application gathers some basic background information like addresses, employment, and proof of citizenship. It was relatively painless, all things considered. I would say the whole thing took about 15 or 20 minutes, and my application was tentatively accepted.
What does that mean? It means I wait. Our applications will be reviewed, and if approved, we (MrsMJonTravel applied too) can then schedule a visit to Customs for an interview. We’re only one day in, and I have no idea how long it usually takes for the whole process, but I’m hoping to have this done before we leave for Italy at the end of October. Any Global Entry pros out there that can give me the 411 on how long the whole process usually takes?
My application was approved in what seems to be the standard time, about two weeks. The next step is to schedule an interview and from what I read on blogs this is what takes most time. Indeed so: I live in Phoenix and next available interview was two months ahead. Looking for alternatives I noticed that there was a selection, called SEMA October 2012 where they had openings in one week. Doing some research I found out that this was a conference in Las Vegas. I could find a flight for about $150, I said – what the heck! Got my interview scheduled and my airline tickets and I was ready to go. One last detail was to have the exact information with the location of SEMA show in Las Vegas. And then I discovered: you could not get admitted to the conference without a pass. Cost of the pass: $75. The attempt to talk to the show organizers or representatives of Global Entry, were – as you may imagine – futile. I was trapped. So pay attention when you make the selection of the interview location and don’t forget like I did the pertaining line from The Three American Lies.
We did ours in April. There was a a 2-day wait for the response, then 5 days until an appointment block was open at DFW. We didn’t realize that there are multiple appointments at the same time, so we scheduled ours back-to-back, resulting in the process taking 25 minutes for the two of us, rather than 10 to 15 minutes. The pay-off is great – sliding the passport through the reader at the kiosk and answering 10 or so “yes” or “no” questions is SO much better than being the 25th person waiting in line for a face to face INS clearance!
Three days for conditional approval. Then find an airport that has an opening that fits your schedule for your interview which is not an interview but a 5 minute Q and A I went to SFO. My husband to Las Vegas. We used Global Entry last week returning from Europe. While the cost is covered because we United 1K members, I would gladly pay twice the amount out of my own pocket for the convenience.
Expanding more about the process (in my experience)-
If you are a US citizen it usually takes less than two weeks to get the conditional approval letter. Once received, you have 30 days to schedule the interview (be it for the next day or in two months, you have to have an appointment made within 30 days). See my other post on getting an interview quickly. After the interview, it takes less than 48 hours for the final approval letter. I got my approval in less than an hour, but my parents took about 30 hours. Note- these are business hours, so don’t schedule on a friday! After the approval letter it takes about a week to get the card, although you do NOT need the card to start using the kiosks.
Did mine in the spring. As I recall, 2-4 week wait for application approval, then 6-8 weeks before I could schedule the interview at IAD. The interview was just enrolling your fingerprints and an explanation of how to use the GE kiosks, not any sort of interrogation. Oh, you also, watch a video, about 15 minutes as I recall.
Once you get the conditional approval letter you have to schedule the interview which is nothing to worry about- I basically had to repeat what I put in the application (name, job, address) and why I had traveled to X, Y, and Z country. As for scheduling the interview, log into the GOES webpage at 6pm Pacific- that’s when they release the slots. I was able to get interviews for my parents three days after they got their letters at their home airport. Also, I was logged in with their accounts in two different computers and confirmed the interview at the same time, just in case if I logged in after, they wouldn’t have same time availability. Hope that helps!
But not the last. I am curious to learn from your experience.
XXXX I did mine last month, not last week… I need to go to bed 😮
I did mine last week, it took me a week for the conditional approval to go through, then I was able to schedule an interview at EWR [which I changed to JFK] the following week before flying out to BOG later that day.
If you want to get an interview ASAP, check Saturdays at EWR and JFK.. When I scheduled mine, both airports were unbelievably wide open. However, that will mean you will have to find a reason to make the trek to NYC.
Setting up the interview is the biggest wait. I did mine one day at JFK after I dropped my wife off at LGA. She did her’s in Vegas. Once the interview is done, the cards come fairly quickly.
It just depends on what the schedule is at the location you chose. The day yo do the interview is the day you’re able to use the GE kiosks.
For me , it tool 2 weeks to receive the conditional approval, and the interview depends on which location you chose, some are booked for 6 months ahead and some are available for same week interviews. I chose Chicago Ohare and the earliest vacancy i found was 2 months away.
I applied 3 weeks ago. I couldn’t get an interview at O’Hare until November… It’s disappointing.