Global Entry

24loar

SBH Insider
We recently applied for Global Entry status, and have been conditionally approved. All we need for GE now is a live interview. However, most of the sites which provide this are shut down, apparently due to reassignment of employees to the southern border. Our option is to be interviewed on our next return into the US following an out of country trip. That will occur in January as we go through SJU on our way home from SBH.
Have any seasoned travelers out there tried to obtain GE in this manner? I would like to know what to expect.
 
Interesting to read this. I have my GE as of last August & had my interview in between flights at CLT...5 minutes, plenty of time remained for the connection to SAV, I'd allowed about 2 hrs. Want my husband to get GE & had just looked at SJU a few days ago, not sure where the location is for the address given...whether actually in the main airport or elsewhere & I didn't pursue any further. So you should check that out. SJU has terrible signage except for airline related locations. Good luck !
 
Wendy & I did the global entry interview between flights to SBH while at MIA . . . proverbial “piece of cake!” And it was approved with the necessary info sent to us by email while still on SBH.
 
I did mine on arrival at IAD. It worked great from the standpoint of no appointment needed and no special trip to the airport. They did however make me wait in the regular immigration line and then go to the enrollment on arrival line which had about 5 people in front of me so another 30ish minute wait.

I don't believe SJU offers enrollment on arrival though (not all airports do) so you would need to do it on another trip entering at an airport that does. Here is the current list: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/enrollment-arrival/locations
 
it is good to have an adequate amount of time as there can be people ahead of you that could take some time. Normally though with an appointment, it moves quickly.
 
Where are you located? If you're anywhere near the DC area you can go to CBP Headquarters at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave and just show up. They take walk ins. My daughter did this a few years ago and was in and out in minutes...……..no line, no waiting. She went as soon as they opened in the early morning.
 
Thanks, but we live in KY. The nearby airports-Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Nashville-have had cutbacks for their CBP stations and do not currently offer walk in service.
I asked Tradewind about the CBP office in SJU, but they did not have any information.
Perhaps if a fellow traveler were to pass through SJU he might look for that office and let me know???
 
It might be worth the gamble to just show up at your local airport's Global Entry office as soon as they open. The DC office doesn't advertise about taking walk-ins, they just do it. It might be the same situation in every office.

Also, if you're checking luggage, Global Entry is almost a waste...……..you get through customs and immigration so fast that you end up waiting 20 minutes for your luggage to arrive in the bag claim area. So it's either wait in line with your passport or wait for your luggage to come off the plane.
 
IAlso, if you're checking luggage, Global Entry is almost a waste...……..you get through customs and immigration so fast that you end up waiting 20 minutes for your luggage to arrive in the bag claim area. So it's either wait in line with your passport or wait for your luggage to come off the plane.

I think that depends on the airport. Our last few international trips were through Philly and by the time we walked to Customs/Immigration and went through Global Entry our baggage was waiting for us. In fact I only remember waiting for luggage once or twice when using GE.
 
I think that depends on the airport. Our last few international trips were through Philly and by the time we walked to Customs/Immigration and went through Global Entry our baggage was waiting for us. In fact I only remember waiting for luggage once or twice when using GE.

That is because the baggage pickup is in the next county and takes forever to get to.
 
Thanks for all of your posts. We lay over in CLT on the way to SJU and didn't think of using the time for making a Global Entry appointment. Will do.
 
Thanks for all of your posts. We lay over in CLT on the way to SJU and didn't think of using the time for making a Global Entry appointment. Will do.

CLT is where I had my interview, posted about that recently, easy to find, a few minutes wait. Man never asked me a question, problems with my fingerprints so did several times, said I'd have trouble coming back into US some time, sure enough coming back from LHR on the new BA flight into Charleston SC/CHS, I had to be checked the old way ! Next Europe trip in 2020 maybe will work. Someone did tell me that as you age..oh that word again...fingerprints not as good as once were. ma
 
My fingerprints for the TSA worked fine. My wife's were a different story. For whatever reason, they just wouldn't take. She then had to wait and go thru a big 'rigamarole' several weeks later with interviews etc. before she was finally approved. Sure it will be the same for her Global Entry.
 
Just applied and received approval for Global Entry. The whole process took exactly one week! Filled out my application (and my wife) last Monday 2/24 and had the interview in South Bend, IN yesterday 3/2, received an approval email today. Plenty of time for our July trip to Anguilla and St Barths for my 50th birthday celebration!
 
Just applied and received approval for Global Entry. The whole process took exactly one week! Filled out my application (and my wife) last Monday 2/24 and had the interview in South Bend, IN yesterday 3/2, received an approval email today. Plenty of time for our July trip to Anguilla and St Barths for my 50th birthday celebration!


Did you have interview at your airport or elsewhere ? I have my Global Entry now a year +, husband doesn't, CLT has fewer hours open since staff cut for border...duh...from 1p to 8p which would never work for us at CLT, nothing here in SAV or CHS. CLT is 5+ hr drive, SAV 1/2 hr, CHS 1.5 hrs. And SAN had hoped for but no staff last time I looked. You are so lucky !
 
Did you have interview at your airport or elsewhere ? I have my Global Entry now a year +, husband doesn't, CLT has fewer hours open since staff cut for border...duh...from 1p to 8p which would never work for us at CLT, nothing here in SAV or CHS. CLT is 5+ hr drive, SAV 1/2 hr, CHS 1.5 hrs. And SAN had hoped for but no staff last time I looked. You are so lucky !

South Bend is our "local" airport (about 25 miles from our little town). I did get lucky as when I went to schedule our interview I chose "soonest available" in the search option for locations and only three locations showed up (Arizona, Florida and Texas). I then changed my search option from soonest to "by" and entered a date way out in the future (2/25/2021) and then a bunch of locations showed up all over the country with available dates. Luckily, South Bend was one of those and I was able to get the appointments I wanted.
 
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