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Global Entry application


Armybrat

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  • 1 month later...

Bump.  FWIW, wife and I got our GE, a few things for 2019 (a year later than OP):
 

1) Took us about 3 weeks to get pre-approved.  Note that we thought they would send us an e-mail but they don't.  They send a notification to your account on the customs website (which you had to establish to get GE).  We found out almost a month after we were pre-approved when I just happened to say, "hey let me check the site."   Don't "wait" for an email, go in and check starting about 2 weeks after you fill out the e-form and pay!  Once you get that, you are ready to do the interview.

2) Interviews - ABIA is backlogged by about a month, and they seem to open up only a month at a time (i.e. not yet scheduling for August).  Sounds shitty, but they have lots of cancellations.  Both wife and I found cancellations (separate days/times) and got in within 3-4 days after finding our pre-approval!  However, you have to be on it like a fly on shit; they get filled pretty quickly after popping up.  You might have to check 4-5 times an hour (and you have to log in to actually schedule if you see an opening, but you don't to simply check the schedule!  I say this before I figured this out, it was a pain in the ass, they keep sending you a code via text to your phone when you log in... I finally realized I could avoid that and just keep checking the schedule quickly, then I logged in when the opening came up and I got it).  Note that also ABIA seems to schedule only mornings, not afternoons.  Other places:  San Antonio has about a 3-week backup, DFW about 3 weeks, and Houston about 5 weeks.  Again though, keep looking for cancellations and get on it, and you might get in within 1-2 days after starting to look. 

3)  Yes, there are a few credit cards that you can use, where if you pay with them, you get your $100 (app fee) reimbursed.  Can't remember them (I think CapitalOne Venture, plus a Chase card of some kind I think - just check yours I guess, the great majority of them don't).  Worth it if you already have it, probably not just for that expense.  Other than that, I don't know what "Get Global Entry with Credit Card" means except just that.  It gives you no authority to "get" GE, but the only thing you pay for is the app fee, so a credit card can reimburse you for the total expense - if you use one of the very few that do that.  But after paying that fee, there is no need for a credit card or payment of any kind, and certainly not in interview day (except airport parking I guess!).

4)  When I posted last summer, I was kinda ignorant, but no, Global Entry really isn't for arriving in other countries, it's for arriving back in the U.S. from other countries.  As some have said, a few countries are starting to honor it (or include it into their quickie systems), but as far as I know there is no real unified global shortcut process or system.  If you do some work ahead of travel, I believe UK and Germany are among a very few that I think you can expedite the process.

5) For the most part, the interviews seem to stay on track... in Austin they seem to have 3-4 appointments for each 15 minute slot (depending on # of workers).  Mine consisted of handing over passport and DL, the guy types in a bunch of shit, he asked me a few questions, mostly verifying address and if I've been overseas within the past 5 years.  Picture was taken (I didn't have to get up, a little camera sitting on the table was aimed at me already.  Then I gave fingerprints of both hands.  More typing, and I was in/out in 10 minutes.  Wife took even less time, like 3-4!  Pretty easy.

6) Also agreed that GE is not worth it if you come into a small-time airport relatively speaking (like AUS).  But we're coming back into Miami, so damn straight we wanted it.  If we're "lucky" enough that the customs line that day/time is short, good for us, we didn't need to use GE.  But we're not betting that'll be the case.  Anyway coming into NY, SF, LA, Chicago, DFW, Atlanta, etc. - you know, where you'll enter the U.S. of 90% of the time when traveling internationally, it is by far the best deal.

7) They usually start sending renewal notices to your customs web site account about a year before your GE expires (they say they send you an e-mail but I wouldn't rely on that alone).  When you go through the renewal process (pay another $100 and fill out the renewal form), they should tell you on your account site whether you need to do an interview for renewal.

 

Edited by phdhorn
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Thanks for the info Phd. Applied last week; hoping to get myself and family through interviews before School starts up which will make that more challenging.

One hour plus through security at Abia and almost missing our flight two weeks ago finally got me off my ass. Wish I had done this years ago just for pre check since we fly at least 7 times a year and usually through clusterfucks like Abia, SFO and DEN.

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On 12/4/2018 at 2:24 PM, shakahorn said:

Well I hate to give away the "secret" but I've used the mobile passport app 3 times now at IAH, LAX and EWR and every time it's gotten me through waaaaaaay faster than the GE line.  2 out of the 3 times, there was NO ONE else in the line and the one time there was, at IAH, it was a flight crew of like 4-5 folks.  One of the pilots condescendingly asked if I had the app, to which, with as much return condescension as I could muster, replied "No problem bro."

Domestically I maintain at least the lowest level of status with United so TSA Pre doesn't really help and is certainly not worth it so I haven't applied for GE.

Just so I know I'm on the same page as y'all, are we talking here about the U.S. Customs & BP Mobile Passport Control App?

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No problem guys, just be sure to check your customs web account, as I say they didn't send us an email when we were preapproved.  Lost a month on that, but we got it in time (we're leaving June 28)

2 hours ago, wood said:

Just so I know I'm on the same page as y'all, are we talking here about the U.S. Customs & BP Mobile Passport Control App?

Yes.

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Thanks phd. Can you use the app for multiple accounts on one phone, like if I wanted to use it for my passport & my kids' passports on my phone?

ETA: Never mind. You can create up to 12 additional profiles for fam.

Edited by wood
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Thanks phd. Can you use the app for multiple accounts on one phone, like if I wanted to use it for my passport & my kids' passports on my phone?

ETA: Never mind. You can create up to 12 additional profiles for fam.

You have to get the paid version for it to save anything (maybe you did)

 

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  • 2 months later...

GE you scary...Just came back into DFW with my kids and we didn't even need to scan our passports.  All we did is take a picture and our tickets came out with all our data.  Even my 10 yr old daughter who I had to hold up while I laughed and while my son pressed the picture button; it spit out her ticket with DOB etc and I couldn't even see the picture on her ticket...

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heads up but if you are waiting for interviews and can't get in in Austin/Houston they have a ton of openings on the weekend in Laredo. not that it is super close but was able to get in and out really quickly.

also had a ton of openings in Eagle Pass but they are only open M-F

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2 hours ago, NoName said:

heads up but if you are waiting for interviews and can't get in in Austin/Houston they have a ton of openings on the weekend in Laredo. not that it is super close but was able to get in and out really quickly.

also had a ton of openings in Eagle Pass but they are only open M-F

We live in Austin and my wife (who got her approval much later than I did) went to San Antonio because Austin was full and we were butting up against the time for our trip.  SA had a lot of openings at that time

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  • 4 months later...

Anybody else waiting on GE? I used to have it, but it expired. I renewed it in August and paid my fee. It is still pending review. I expected it to take 2 or 3 months,  which is what the website says, but I'm now into my 5th. Mrs. MO just applied for the first time so we'll see how quickly her application gets processed. She will need to go for an interview, but I'm hoping since I used to have it, I won't have to. Anybody here anything about wait times? 

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Mine is up for renewal, got the six month notice.  Anybody here done the renewal, and if so---how long did it take?  I don't want to be without the card or have it lapse in this administrative black hole some of you are describing.  

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Here's the text of the notification.

Quote

 

We are pleased to inform you that your U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Global Entry program membership has been approved. You can begin using the program immediately.

Please visit www.cbp.gov/global-entry/about to review the program criteria for detailed information.

Your Global Entry membership number is XXXXXXXX. This number will also act as your Known Traveler Number for your TSA Pre-Check benefit. For more information on the TSA Pre-Check program please visit their web site at www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck.

Thank you for applying to the CBP's Trusted Traveler Programs.

Respectfully,

 

 

Edited by VABuckeye
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1 hour ago, PilotsError said:

I flew out of Bergstrom eight times in December, only got pre check for five of the flights.  So sick of this shit.  And there was a significant wait time in the regular lines.  Also the removing shoes and laptops.  Frustrating as hell.

That many “misses” is odd.  I’ve seen people go to the ticket counter and get it added.  I’ve also just called the airline when it happened to me once and they added.

As for ABI, we joined Clear a while back.  Sometimes doesn’t save much time, but sometimes it does even with TSA when the TSA line is backed up.  It would certainly help in the instances you are discussing.

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1 hour ago, VABuckeye said:

I just did the renewal.  It was approved within a week.,  No interview, nothing.  

thanks, pos rep.

The approval happened within one week, but how long did it take to get your new card?  Do you have to get a new photo?  

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I flew out of Bergstrom eight times in December, only got pre check for five of the flights.  So sick of this shit.  And there was a significant wait time in the regular lines.  Also the removing shoes and laptops.  Frustrating as hell.

Dumb question but did you add your Global Entry number to all your airline account profiles?

 

I’ve flown maybe 200 times since getting GE and TSA Pre has always been on there.

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Yep. You have to be registered with your KTID number with every airline you fly with.  Even then if you purchase a ticket outside of the airlines website you may need to go in well ahead of time and enter your KTID number again.   Then, there’s always a chance you’ll get flagged for a random and have to go through the peasant line. 

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2 hours ago, Lobo said:

thanks, pos rep.

The approval happened within one week, but how long did it take to get your new card?  Do you have to get a new photo?  

You don't need the card unless you are driving through the border of Mexico or Canada.

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Dumb question but did you add your Global Entry number to all your airline account profiles?
 
I’ve flown maybe 200 times since getting GE and TSA Pre has always been on there.
This.. The only time I have issues is when I'm flying international or a partner airline and then fly domestic after arriving back in the US.
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Yep. You should have pre check every time unless you fuck something up.


My wife has issues due to her Known traveler number being under her maiden name and her reservations underher maiden name. She got her passport changed but they won’t do anything about her Global Entry. We managed to figure out that if they make her maiden name a middle name on the reservation that Pre check gets added to her boarding pass. Usually have to call the airline a couple days before each time just to double check though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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8 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

No new photo and no mention of a new card.  Does the card have an expiration date on it?

Hey, no hard feelings from the Woody Hayes thread.  I was salty over the loss.  That was a tough one.

Not at all, didn't even occur to me you were the one I was berating about shitty OSU fans.  This is all make believe to me on this board, the people that hold some grudge or negative opinion against other posters for years on end...it's beyond me.  Now I do still hate OSU fans because of some real-world shit that happened to friends of ours, but that ain't on you.  Only time Shaggy/Surly got weird for me was twice...one guy started posting real details of my real life on here.  And then another time, a really long time ago at one of the first site happy hours...a guy followed me almost all the way to my house.  

You're aces in my book, see you at the international airport lounge sometime...

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I have had global entry for a couple years now and love it. Another good thing which I wasn’t sure of is that they automatically enroll your new passport after you have it renewed. 
 

Confirmed that one today in DEN. Had old and new passport but machine only took the new one. I was worried I had to update my profile manually and didn’t think about it until I was about to fly back home. 

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On 1/1/2020 at 11:13 PM, 4th&Five said:

Wife and I applied on the same day back in September. I was approved in 2 weeks and she’s still waiting. 

I applied to renew my expired GE in August and am still waiting. Mrs. MO applied 5 days ago and she just got conditionally approved and has her interview scheduled. I think I'll try calling to see if I can get an update on mine. I'm sure I'll have to sit on hold for at least an hour. 

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16 hours ago, Johnny Chimpo said:

I have had global entry for a couple years now and love it. Another good thing which I wasn’t sure of is that they automatically enroll your new passport after you have it renewed. 
 

Confirmed that one today in DEN. Had old and new passport but machine only took the new one. I was worried I had to update my profile manually and didn’t think about it until I was about to fly back home. 

That's good to know because they don't update it on the website.

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21 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

I applied to renew my expired GE in August and am still waiting. Mrs. MO applied 5 days ago and she just got conditionally approved and has her interview scheduled. I think I'll try calling to see if I can get an update on mine. I'm sure I'll have to sit on hold for at least an hour. 

You can log in to the site to get a status report.  After four months that's what I would do.

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13 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

I've done that. It says what it's said for months - pending review. 

It can help to call.  Last year, my wife and I both finally did Global Entry (and yes, it makes a difference based on comparing getting through before we had it and after).  After my interview, got my approval e-mail almost immediately.  My wife’s didn’t come through, and we were butting up against the time we were leaving.  Took a couple of calls, but we figured out that the officer had failed to hit the “approve” tab  (or whatever it is) after the interview.  They had us call the field office, talked with him, and he fixed it immediately.

I know you are in a different stage, but the point is there is the potential for human error in this process that calling may help overcome.

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  • 2 months later...
1 hour ago, midtown said:

7 mths.  How many hookers did you murder?

Too many apparently. I have no idea why it took so long. The only thing I can think of is that it had been expired for over a year. I changed jobs from one where I did a lot of international travel, to one where I did none. I totally forgot to renew it. Also I traveled to a bunch of different countries, and 3 to 4 on each trip... many in Central and South America. Maybe that triggered some extra scrutiny. But 7 months? My real guess is that it got lost somewhere in the process and was found during an audit, or somethinglike that. 

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My wife signed up for GE and it took months to finally schedule an interview (no openings).  She was supposed to have her interview this week at DFW.  It was canceled and she likely wasn't going to go anyway.  Now I'm concerned the the 1 year from application expiration will hit before she can complete it.  I'm hoping they extend that given the circumstances.

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2 minutes ago, dlatin said:

My wife signed up for GE and it took months to finally schedule an interview (no openings).  She was supposed to have her interview this week at DFW.  It was canceled and she likely wasn't going to go anyway.  Now I'm concerned the the 1 year from application expiration will hit before she can complete it.  I'm hoping they extend that given the circumstances.

When they start again, check places like San Antonio — less crowded

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2 minutes ago, AustinMT said:

When they start again, check places like San Antonio — less crowded

We are in East Texas - SA isn't very handy.  It was really odd, for a while there just weren't any openings for interviews, which takes just minutes.

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