Hello folks: I just applied for my Global Entry renewal and was conditionally approved. I need to be interviewed. The closest enrollment center is San Francisco airport. However, there are no appointments available for the foreseeable future till June 2023 and walk-ins are not accepted. In fact, the only places with appointments available are in four different states.
What should I do? Thank you.
Which states are available?
I logged out of my account, but I saw that AZ and TN had appt slots available. Can't recall the other two states.
The common advice I have seen is to check back frequently. The more the better. People cancel their appointments for various reasons. Good luck finding one!
Are you traveling internationally in the next year? We had our Global Entry conditional approval, but the Denver airport had no appointments available for months, and we weren’t going to go clear to Omaha, even though that airport had openings every day. Went ahead and booked Denver International Airport interview appointments way into the future, but our unscheduled Dallas opportunity occurred.
Coming back from Rome last October, through Dallas, we were able to get waived into the interview room as soon as we got past the Global Entry machines. Waited on a bench for 5 minutes, did our interviews, and were cleared in less than 10 minutes total. Renewed certification and Global Entry Card arrived in the mail a few days later. And the Denver appointments got canceled, still months ahead.
Indeed, the general guidance is to keep checking, as people cancel and then things open up, but you only know if you are in the system when it happens.
I did like Cyn but had a completely different experience. A 90-minute wait in Atlanta, but luckily I had a three-hour layover. It did get taken care of though, and I had my KTN when I walked away from the desk. Just to underline that you may not be so lucky as to get through in 5 minutes ! (Oh and I didn't get waved through anywhere — had to stand in line and do the regular entry immigration control, at which point after that was done, they allowed me to go to the desk to get in line for the Global Entry interview.)
(My previous trip arriving in Atlanta, the guy doing the interviews had just gone on break and they told me it would be 20 minutes or so before he would be back to start the interview — the interview itself is short, but then they have to run your fingerprints through a database and wait for any results to come back —so doing the whole thing takes a good 15 to 20 minutes in my experience. Anyway, I had a much shorter layover that time, so I was unable to wait for the interview and just had to go on.)
That's weird - I just had my interview in early June and appointment slots were wide open. However, I did not go to an airport - I live 2 1/2 hours from the Canadian border and was able to drive to the Grand Portage Port of Entry for the interview. I was the only person there that day and walked right in - then afterward, I was able to visit Grand Portage State Park and see the incredible waterfall. :)
So if you live anywhere near a Port of Entry, you might want to try that.
We didn’t need to be interviewed for our GE renewal. It took about a month to be notified of re approval. This was January 2020 , sent it in early.
I renewed also online this year and it did not require an interview. Make sure you actually need one.
I am also applying for the APEC card and this is the most likely reason for the interview. Thank you for your help so far.
Thank you, folks. I did something crazy stupid--I sat down for 1.5 hours, hitting the SFO Airport scheduling weblink non-stop just like a robot. Openings (most likely cancellations) came up 4 times, but either I was too slow to click it or the TTP server was down, I did not get a slot until the fourth time.
So, I have an appt in two weeks. Happy travels!
Excellent !
I may have had an exceptionally smooth renewal. Applied New Years Eve, got the provisional approval in a few hours. Went on the website on New Year’s Day and found an appointment in St Louis (my home) in 6 weeks, but the server was down. Signed on again Jan 2nd, and there was an opening for 3:30 the next day! Snapped it up, drove to the airport on Monday and was finished in 25 minutes. Easiest interaction I’ve ever had with a government agency!
Thankfully we do not have to renew at SFO for a bit, but I remember trying to get the interview - it's worse than sniping on eBay or getting a Yosemite or French Laundry or Leonardo's Last Supper* reservation. I believe there are twitter feeds devoted to telling people when interview slots pop up. I also recall that they release appts in batches, so even though there are "no appts for a year," all of a sudden there will be a bunch of appts.
*OK, Last Supper was impossible. Global Entry interview at SFO was only next to impossible.
When I came home from Israel last November I had my application pending and only needed an interview. When I arrived at SFO I went to the Global Entry area and told the officer I need to do an on arrival interview. I put my name on the list and was called . My Parents were still waiting for their luggage.
In 20 minutes I was done and a few days later was approved. Painless and I did not have to make another trip to SFO
The officer recommended an on arrival interview as an option.
I will NEVER be without Global Entry or TSA Pre Check
Thank you for all your replies. After wasting two hours clicking the weblink for an interview slot, I got very lucky and found a spot. Just went to SFO and got approved. All the best to you who are also waiting in line for a slot.
