Global Entry Interview Appointment Issues

Good luck. It took my husband 10 months to get an interview in 2021. We monitored Tampa, Orlando and Miami airports daily for openings and cancellations. Unfortunately, people don't tend to cancel their appointments when they find one sooner. On the day I went for my interview in Tampa, there was a 20 percent no-show rate. You can always conduct your interview when you land back in the States. It defeats the purpose of the GE but you'll get your interview.

It was weird. Took us almost a year to get an interview in SF. There was never any dates available and then all of the sudden, it all opened up with numerous available appts. Keep checking on regular basis

Keep checking is my advice also.
I checked every day for months to get an appointment at Charlotte Airport, even though JFK had appointments available most all the time.
I finally saw a few appointments in Charlotte and made one immediately.
One thing to note,since the timing of my passport renewal arrival was after I got my global entry, the very helpful lady at global entry helped me update the global entry data to match the new passport number.

I also applied and was accepted for Global Entry Membership. My acceptance ltr states:
"In order to finalize your Global Entry enrollment, you can complete your interview when you return from your next international trip at one of the several international airports in the US and at one of CBP's Preclearance locations. With Enrollment on Arrival, Global Entry applcants who are conditionally approved can complete their interviews, the last step of the Global Entry process, while they are clearing thru US Customs and Border Protection."
The letter then directs you to the CBP.gov site for participating airports.

That being said, I will also be flying out of Atlanta International on the 24th of April for a RS Italy tour and was planning on completing the entry process when I return or whenever Covid test lets me return.

If you select the option of completing your entry process upon your return to the US, suggest you seek out a CBP employee and ask "where the location is" to finalize your membership.

You will be required to show:
- Global Entry membership nbr.(provided on my acceptance letter)
- your Known Traveler Nbr (KTN)
Good luck! Hope this helps.
LAH

It is not a technical glitch, this has been a problem even before the pandemic.
Advice I got, that work for me, is to look for appointments on Sunday late night. People reschedule or cancel their appointments and one or two for the upcoming week open up. The other thing you could do is if you are at the airport just show up and see if they'll let you go through the interview. Also check others airports u may be flying to.

When I got mine a few years ago, I had an appointment for CLT but it was after our next trip. On our return from that trip, our entry airport would do interview on arrival so I was able to complete the process then. I was directed to a certain line for that. It was quick and easy and the agent said they would cancel my upcoming appointment for CLT.

Two friends lost their application fee due to lack of appointments during covid. Too bad they weren't allowed to get an extension on the interview requirement.

Hubs finished his out recently; CLT was closest for us but couldn't get anything there. Next closest was Atlanta and he was able to snag an appointment there last month.

I live in Upstate New York, and was able to do my interview at a Customs and Border Control office on Lake Ontario. I see that there is a border control entry in Vermont (Derby Line Port of Entry). It is further away from you than Logan, but, if you're really intent on getting the interview soon, I see that they have interviews available as early as June. Hope this helps!

Of course, when I went back to reverify, I don't see it, so, I'm wondering if maybe it's an issue where you would need to clear cookies?

Here is their contact info:

Derby Line, Vermont Enrollment Center
Address: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office

107 Route 91 South
Derby Line, VT 05830

Hours of Operation: 8 a.m - 8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday
Contact Information: (802) 873-3219

I applied for renewal in Atlanta in December 2021, and the first available interview was in July 2022. So, I will have my interview in July. Fortunately, I renewed early and so it's not a problem for me.

Debbie,

We only waited about 1-2 months for our interview at our smaller regional airport in Springfield, MO. (St Louis and KC had a much longer wait time). I would try different airports that are within reasonable driving distance. Good luck.

Wow. It only took a month for us. From Oklahoma…. Three closest to us was Dallas, KC and St. Louis. We went over spring break and made a mini visit and it was a breeze in St. Louis. Maybe look at a smaller location. Who knows! Can’t wait to use our In June

I applied right before the pandemic and it took me a year to get an interview. I considered flying to another state just for the interview. Some states just seemed to have more locations and better availability than others. Politely speaking, the website is not very robust and the system skewed.

Last spring, I was able to get an appointment at my local airport. You might see if you can do a walk-in appointment or just wait until your return to the USA. There's not much to it except a photo and fingerprinting. Although, there was an older man who was getting interviewed next to me. I think that they do some cursory research and ask leading questions. If you have anything, you should own up to it. I heard the agent ask the man if he had ever been arrested. He admitted that Yes, 40 years ago, he had been arrested for Disorderly Behavior. The agent seemed happy that nothing was hidden. I, on the other hand, sailed through with scarcely a question. Although I haven't flown internationally yet, I am thankful for my TSA-Pre status!

I had trouble getting an appointment for renewal--I was one who had to have an interview--and did it on arrival.

After clearing immigration, I was shown where to go and was in and out in 10 minutes.

Not an appointment question…..

I have TSA only thru March 2024…. At time of renewal how would I switch over to Global entry without losing my current TSA TT#? Is there a seamless way to convert to GE?

Debbie, I don't think it is a glitch. We applied months ago. I received my conditional approval within a couple of days, but my husband's is still pending. We are in Oregon and there are no appointments until next year. We would have flown to a different city (mini vacation?) for our interviews but we are still waiting for his approval... We fly to France early May, so I think we are out of luck. I hope you fare better!

I found appointments in San Diego were more than a year away. Then I flew to Mexico, and Voila! On the return to San Diego Global Entry interviews were being done going through Customs & Immigration.
No appointment necessary.
You might try the same flying to Montreal or Toronto and getting your interview wrapped up upon your return to the US.

Hi Debbie, As others have said, just keep trying. We received the conditional approval for my husband (I already have mine) on a Tuesday in February. We actually could have booked an appointment for that week, but it was not a convenient time for him. There was one appointment available for May 25th and I grabbed it.

I had the same problem when I first got mine and was able to book by checking everyday (sometimes several times a day) for a couple of weeks. I was looking for 3 appts for myself and my two daughters. We ended up with an appt in Providence, but that is no longer an option.

@Chris-For renewal and new Global Entry passport numbers, all you have to do is log into your account on the Global Entry website and you can change your passport number, drivers license, etc. Very easy.

Hi, Debbie,
I looked at the Scheduling page again for the Derby Line center (mentioned above). I did see appointment dates in July this time. I think you could probably call them in person to book, if you're interested in traveling to Northern Vermont.

I noticed that several people mentioned having to book an appointment for renewal. My husband and I renewed on line and weren't required to come in for an appointment. We received new cards quite quickly.

I noticed that several people mentioned having to book an appointment for renewal. My husband and I renewed on line and weren't required to come in for an appointment. We received new cards quite quickly.

My wife and I renewed last year for the third time. We both had to go in and basically get a new picture taken etc. When we returned from Iceland last summer we got our answer, facial recognition. No fingerprints or passport scan. The Kiosk takes your picture, prints a receipt and off you go.

Ed

Debby,
In 2019 we had our interview at the Tip O’Neil Federal Building in Boston. Is that no longer a viable location for you?
Unfortunately, due to Covid, we have yet to try out GE…sigh.

I renewed online in 2019. No interview or photo update was required.

We tried several airport options in January. Most were one year out. Finally got an appointment about 100 miles from our summer home that was only 60 days out. Since we planned on being there early this year, perfect for a little road trip.

Separate appointments for my wife, then 15 minutes later for me.

When we go there:

-- the door to Customs Offices was locked. Sign said, "Wait in your car".

-- The Customs agent came out and took people in order. (We were 30 minutes early and not taking chances)
-- On time, she came out for my wife's appointment. My wife mentioned we were both there for appointment. the agent waved me in and took us both at the same time.

-- we both walked out of there 15 minutes earlier than we anticipated.

-- Government Efficiency I have rarely experienced!

The agent did note -- staffing is difficult and not expected to change.

Given that I assume most doors are locked, I would not just "show up" unless you don't mind sitting and hoping for the best.

I was having the same issues with booking a global entry interview: nothing available, at all! I tried booking something in person and remote but nothing was available. I finally found something in Arizona (I'm in California) so I booked it just to have something on the calendar. I continued to look for something closer or remote and then decided to try something. I searched for remote interview times selecting different time zones. When I selected the Anchorage time zone, an open timeslot popped up, and for the following day! So I booked it. It was for 6:45am local time, but who cares, right? Even if it was 3am, I'd get up for that considering nothing else is available! So, if you haven't found anything, try looking for a remote interview appointment using different time zones. BTW, the interview took less than 5 minutes and I was immediately approved! Good luck!

We applied for (April of 2022) and received conditional approval within 3 days. When I completed the application process, I checked Charlotte(CLT) for appointments. They had many a month out. Once I received tentative approval three days later, there were no appointments. That location was basically off line. Many were. We returned from Vienna May 30, 2022 via Chicago O'Hare(ORD) and were able to walk into Border Patrol after clearing Passport Control without an appointment. We waited for 30 minutes in a short line. FYI the process was pretty quick. Wife and I presented ourselves together, showed our passports and driver licenses, we were asked a few questions about where we were coming from(current trip), what counties we had visited and our employment status. We were then photographed, fingerprinted and advised if all our data checked out we would receive cards in a few weeks. I asked the agent about the lack of interview locations and he confirmed many of the locations were off line. Only guessing but I imagine the appointments are taking lower priority than dealing with the border crisis. If Logan has Global Entry as an entry option, you can try to walk in upon your return flight. Obviously will not help you on that flight but for the future.

I renewed ours in Jan 2020 at the start of COVID. It took a few months then vs an hour after my interview and fingerprinting for my initial GE application.

We're in the Bay Area. Options here were ridiculous. We wound up booking at the LAX office on a trip to Palm Desert. In other words, we flew into LAX. Got our entry approved and then drove to the desert. Convenient? No. BUT since then we're off the plane and through the airport in the US in an instant. An airport hundreds of miles away is an option, not a great option, but an option. I forgot to add... We were the ONLY people in the office besides the government workers. Consider walking in -- and waiting. Bring a book and some food, but that may get your pass.

We applied for Global Entry in early April. Like everyone else we were unable to find an interview time prior to our trip. We were given a number to call at the St. Louis airport, to see if there was any openings. We called and they told us to come in on a Saturday morning two weeks later.

You may want to check the portal to see if there is a number for your closest airport.

We applied for GE (in April, well in advance of our trip in September) and, once we received tentative approval, began searching for appointments. Nothing, absolutely nothing (in NE Ohio). I finally called the Sandusky location and he confirmed there is a delay of about 150 days. He recommended the approval upon entry process but we have just 90 minutes connecting at IAD...we'll give it a try and hope for the best but we feel ripped off that they have our $100 with no short term solution. It would seem that some advice to people initiating the application should be warned.

I agree that they should be up front about these interview delays when you initiate your application. I would have chosen TSA pre-check instead had I known.

We have a direct flight coming home and our home airport is doing these interviews upon your return between 12:00 noon and 8:00 PM. Our flight gets in at 1:35 PM — so hopefully we get our interviews then.

Be forewarned that you need proof of residency beyond your drivers license and Passport. They want a copy of your Mortgage statement with your address or a copy of your Rental agreement with your address.

Nowhere does it say that in the interview instructions that I saw. Maybe when you actually get assigned an appointment they tell you this? I clicked on the option to Interview on re-entry and they showed it there. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t usually fly with a copy of my Mortgage statement! Had I not checked before our trip, we would have been out of luck again! I have printed a copy and will put it in my luggage.

I applied in January in Denver. Got conditional approval but first available interview is in October. But then I received an email saying I could to an approval upon entry when I returned from Spain in June. I returned through Charlotte. The line at passport control was over an hour long and when I asked where I could do the interview for the GE, the agent rudely said they weren't doing those and that the email was not correct. He laughed and said "the computer system to do those doesn't work. We don't do those in Charlotte" even though Charlotte was listed in the email as one of the airports that does them. So I don't know if they were just overwhelmed that day, or if I arrived at a bad time, or if the agents were just being rude, or if they truly don't do the approval on entry interviews in Charlotte. Anyway, I am traveling overseas again in September so will just wait for the October Denver appointment.

Traveling in October had zero luck until Monday. Not sure how it happened but earlier this week (Monday 7/11) I was able to get appointments at DCA Reagan National (prefer BWI, but not going to complain). I’d been trying to get an interview for 2 months. I’d check every morning, On Monday I checked both the morning, none available then again around 8:00pm, I switched between appointment by and appointment on going day by day and BOOM, DCA appeared. When I clicked it on it showed multiple appointments for Friday the 15th of July also showed appointments for August 11th. I was able to book appointments back to back for my self and my husband for this Friday. Good Luck to everyone trying in my case persistence paid off!

Be forewarned that you need proof of residency beyond your drivers license and Passport.

Debbie, unless they have changed the wording in their notifications, this is what mine said - "In addition to your entry document (e.g., your passport), you will need documents providing evidence of residency. Examples are driver's license (if the address is current), mortgage statement, rental payment statement, utility bill, etc."

Driver's license worked for me when I did my interview in October of 2020; no additional proof of residency was needed.

I was able to get appointments at DCA Reagan National (prefer BWI, but not going to complain). I’d been trying to get an interview for 2 months. I’d check every morning, On Monday I checked both the morning, none available then again around 8:00pm, I switched between appointment by and appointment on going day by day and BOOM, DCA appeared.

Barbie, check your appointment details. Unless something has changed recently, global entry interviews are at the Reagan Building in DC (not Reagan National Airport).