Post by maddiepaddy on Nov 16, 2015 19:09:02 GMT -5
How does Global Entry interview scheduling work? Will I have choices of dates/times? Or will I just be told to show up at a particular airport at a particular time?
I live in MO, and the closest Global Entry office is in Chicago (about 5 hours away). We'll be in the Denver area for a couple of weeks around the holidays, so ideally, I'd schedule our interviews at DIA while we'll be there. Will this be possible?
Post by sunshinedaydreams on Nov 16, 2015 19:55:57 GMT -5
Once you get your conditional approval letter, you'll be able to go onto the GE website and select from a bunch of days/times for your appointment. I think they're in 10 or 15 minute intervals and there are multiple spots for each time slot.
We did ours in Chicago earlier this year. We ended up getting to the airport about 15 min early for our appointment. They took us right in and we were done within 15 minutes. So theoretically you could get it done on a layover in DIA. I'm not sure where the GE office is - in Chicago it's outside the security area, so you'd want to plan time to get out, get the interview done and clear security again.
Post by steamboat185 on Nov 16, 2015 23:09:24 GMT -5
You pick your time, but keep checking back. Orginally I had an appointment 4 months out, but ended up getting my interview moved up by over 3 months by checking the website a few times.
Also if you have extenuating circumstances the office may be able to help you. When I applied the only dates they had available were after we were scheduled to move out of the country.
The office was super accommodating when I called to explain our situation and they got us in 2 weeks later.
I live absolutely nowhere near a GlobalEntry office, so I was scheduled my interview for the middle of a 3-hour layover in Newark. It's pretty short, and they were pretty close to on-schedule.
And I agree they're very accommodating. I knew I'd be changing my name a year after my GlobalEntry was approved, and I asked them if I needed to come back. They told me to just drop in the next time I was passing through to update the records. So that's what I did. It was kind of weird, since the system is really set up for the scheduled appointment times, so I had to stop someone who was coming out to call someone else in and explain why I was there. But it was no big deal. They just told me to wait a little while and then handled everything after they finished with the next "interview."
Post by osumelissa on Nov 17, 2015 10:23:38 GMT -5
Like others said you pick the date and time. The "interview" is really watching a movie on Global Entry, getting your picture taken, giving your fingerprints and they ask you a few questions. Well at least that is how it was in 2011. I think I was out in like 15-20 minutes.
Don't be late for your appointment. My husband foolishly thought he could just waltz up 10 minutes late and they would take him no questions asked. (He is a teacher and was on summer break, so he had no reason to be late.) Fortunately for him he was able to get an appointment that day, but only after waiting ~2 hrs and he was able to use Global Entry on our International trip the next week.
Thanks, all! I'll sign up asap, and cross my fingers that I can get interview times that work when we're in Denver.
Looking forward to finally having it!
I just got it in September and then traveled to the US a week later from the Middle East - it was life changing when it came to waiting in line after a 13 hour flight! And TSA pre-check? Sooooo much better! Just don't forget to include your traveler number on your flight itinerary! (I did that when I was leaving NY for Dubai, and had to go through regular security, grrrrrr).