Global Entry approval is lightning fast these days
 

On April 20, just 4 days ago, I suggested to middle sis that she should apply for Global Entry. I thought the whole process would take months, as she's never had it before.

Today, just 4 days after filling out the application, she got the email of her conditional approval. She scheduled an interview at her home airport for May 1, just a week from today.

I'm in a state of shock that the process has improved so much. I renewed mine in November and I got notice of approval in February, with no interview required. I thought that was fast, but this is crazy.

Has anyone else had this experience recently?

DH’s global entry had expired and he renewed it recently. It was really fast. I don’t remember exact dates but I’m pretty sure it was less than two weeks from filling out the forms online for renewal to having the card delivered to him.

It's good to hear that Florida1. I can't imagine what's changed since November when I applied, but I'm glad things have improved.

Good to hear. I recently renewed ours for the second time and it took two weeks.

I renewed mine July 2023 and it took until February 2024 for approval!

My passport renewal last month however was very fast, a little over two weeks without expediting.

Thanks for sharing this - I really ought to renew mine. It was in process when Covid hit so I never finished it. I’m headed to Colombia in June and maybe I can get it by then.

Mine was approved quickly but no appointments nearby. I'll do it when I reenter next month. It will be nice to have it, although MPC has worked fairly well so far.

gruezi, I think you have a good chance of getting it by June. I hope you'll give it a try.

Starrs, your plan to do it on entry is a good one, but I read that they add new appointments on the first Monday of each month at 9am local time. Maybe if you check then, you'll get something sooner.

Unfortunately, I waited to renew until after mine was expired.
I filled out the forms in December and am still waiting.
I went in person to the office in Riviera Beach port in Florida and the agent told me that some people are now waiting a year for a renewal. My big mistake was not renewing before mine expired. I surely hope it comes through soon since I have a trip planned next month.

Yes, the process has become faster, benefiting travelers. It's great to see such positive changes!

OK -- this may be a new world record. When I saw P_M's thread on Wed, it caused me to check my GE account which expires 12-2. So Thurs. evening I applied for renewal and tonight at 9:25 PDT I received an e-mail to check the site for a status change. I logged in, entered the code they sent me, went to my dashboard and . . . I am approved with no interview required. 49 hours start to finish!

OOPS -- that should read "So Thurs Wed. evening I applied for renewal . . ."

Well, I'm very happy for everyone!!

I'm still waiting, since December!!

Wow Janis, that's great!! Congrats on the world record.

I'm glad this thread inspired you to renew. You've helped me so many times, this is a very small way to return the favor. 😀

Thanks to you too. I hadn't thought about my GE expiration date since I almost never carry the physical card (actually thought I had a couple of years left on it! ) I know I renewed early but figured it would take at least a month or two and I'd get it out of the way. Curious why some renewals entail an in-person interview and some don't. This is my second renewal and last time there also was no interview . . .

Same for me Janis. I have renewed twice and my only interview was when I was initially approved, but never for a renewal. When DH renewed, he had another interview. I have no idea why, since neither of us have a criminal record.

Thanks. I told my friend I was traveling with that the approval process seems to have gotten a lot better. When coming through immigration yesterday, I saw a line that looked miles long yet for GE, I was the only person.

The long line was actually for all other passports but still made me grateful for having it. I was able to get to bathroom and still had to wait for my friend and luggage but better to sit and wait instead of standing.

My parents, my husband and I have all renewed twice without a need to interview again.

My wife and I have a poor attitude toward the TSA. Every time we fly she has to show the scar from her knee replacement. She is still mad about having the 4 ounce plastic bottle of holy water (blessed by a priest) stolen from her. She was planning on baptizing one of our grandchildren.
As a government employee for more than 40 years, I feel no need to pay a bribe to get "special treatment". I will never pay extra to get a "star" on my drivers license or pay for an interview at an airport. If my valid US passport won't get me on a plane, I'll continue to ride Amtrak. I was told by a TSA agent that after next year I don't have to take off my shoes (I'll be 75).

Having to show the scar? You ought to report that!!
My body is full of scars and I mean a few long ones.
I've had a hip replacement since I was in my early 40s, and the md gave me a laminated card attesting to that but I have never had to show it to anyone.
I set off the bell sometimes and need a female TSA agent to check me once in a while but usually I just go into the enclosed machine and put my hands up....
Asking to show a scar, or to show any part of her body, strikes me as kind of illegal.

I applied for my Global Entry renewal at the end of November and am still waiting on conditional approval. However, years ago I checked that I didn't have fruit by accident upon reentry to the country and an apple was found by the fruit sniffing beagle. I got a stern lecture about it. I've applied for Global Entry since and had to do another interview where I once again got a lecture about fruit. I did get the GE again. I admitted this on my application though perhaps I shouldn't have as it wasn't official. So my application remains in limbo.
My son on the other hand, I sent in his application last week and it was approved almost immediately.

The cute beagle got you. I always loved seeing the beagle on my return home as I don't think they are used anymore. However, my story involves the Immigration agent flying from Dublin, Ireland. I had taken cereal with me when leaving the US to Ireland. I didn't eat it all so saved it for my early morning return home. I got a lecture and stern warning my GE would be revoked, and I would have to pay a fine if I didn't note it on my form the next time. I even said where it was bought and that I planned to eat it at the gate. It didn't matter and made me so paranoid, but I renewed last year with no issues. I also have never had to fill out a form again. This time, when I answered yes to verbally being asked if I had food, the next question was any fruit or meat to which I only said no. I was told to have a nice a day.

I had an apple in my carry-on when I was leaving Europe, but I took it out and ate it before the plane took off. 10 hours later I was in Houston and a beagle alerted on the very pocket of my carry-on where the apple had been. Of course they didn't find anything, but I was very impressed that beagle could still smell it 10 hours later.

That cute beagle caught a lamb sandwich at JFK when I was returning from Spain. I had packed it to eat on the plane but forgotten about it until baggage claim when the beagle was doing his sniffing. The agent took it out and threw it away but did not say anything or give a lecture. And that was before I got my first GE card.

My problem now is that I let the card expire and after it did, I applied for renewal.

I did the renewal for my partner when he got an e-mail saying his was about to expire. He got his asap.
But I did not check mine and never got an e-mail reminding me that it was about to expire. So I just forgot to renew until a couple of weeks after the expiry date. I think that is why I am still waiting 5-plus months later.

My partner gets a wheelchair, and that lets you pass through without waiting in the immigration line. I think they might take me through with him when we return from our trip next month.
If not,, I am resigned to waiting in the (long) line at JFK.

Funny thing about that beagle...it alerted on my spouse's backpack a year or so ago when returning from Switzerland. He was baffled, until they rooted through it and found a bag of fruit flavored candy. The handler then told the dog it wasn't fruit and they moved on.

So you are saying, in effect, that you cannot bring fruit into the US? Canada??

Oh, dear......

I'm not sure the delays are expiration related. My first GE renewal was post expiration and took 10 days. My second GE renewal was prior to expiration and took 7 months!

Not 'in effect' -- in general one has never been able to bring fruit, vegetables, meat, and seeds into the US. (with some specific exclusions)

I remember eating Florida oranges bought in Canada and handing the US Customs the paper bag with the peels.

Global Entry Application results and timeline
 

In case this info is helpful to anyone -

I applied online in mid-March and received conditional approval. There was no option for a scheduled interview and instructions were to have the interview the next time I entered the country.

Today my flight from London arrived at 4:55 pm. There were no long lines and absolutely no one ahead of me in the MPC (Mobile Passport Control) line. I walked one station/ desk over and was the 4th person in line for the "interview". The interview consisted of handing the agent my passport, reading an instructional page (in a plastic holder), doing my fingerprints and taking a photo.

The agent said I would be updated with the results in 1 to 3 days.

I just checked my email. I was approved at 5:25 pm, which was probably immediately. Certainly before I exited the airport.

Thrilled it was so fast and easy. I've used MPC before with good results. Looking forward to Global Entry on future trips.

New thread merged with existing topic

Mine lapsed just before COVID and I procrastinated about doing anything about it, anything at all. Mostly because I lost my card, and for whatever reason could not access my information online. Finally a few months ago I tried logging in again and lo and behold all my information was there. I filled it out and then went to France - did not yet have my results but Dulles has a program where you can just walk in and interview while you are waiting on your flight. The "conditional approval" has to be ready, I learned, before you can do the interview (because there was so much time since it expired they need the interview apparently). The guy looked me up in the system and said "I see it but the conditional approval isn't done, I will send an email to speed it up. Check your email in a few days for it."

It came in a few days later but as I was overseas without a password I figured I would take care of it when I got home.

Lo and behold, it wasn't just the conditional approval, it was the real approval! I got home and oh happy day. All done. I guess the guy sized me up while we were talking and decided that was enough! haha!

Last October I applied for GE for the first time. I had just received my new passport. I had a conditional approval in 2 days and I could have gone for an interview the next morning but I did not want to go downtown at 6am. I picked an appointment a week later. I live near a border crossing and there are 3 places to go in addition to the airport. When explaining the rules, the agent made mention to claim everything you have, "including your half eaten lunch."

When I returned from my first trip to Europe I was a bit confused. It was so simple that it seemed wrong. There was only one other person in the GE area and he was as confused as I. We were both looking at the kiosk expecting something to happen. Agents were yelling at us to just keep going. TSA was more complicated.:)

We have flown into the US at Dulles from Athens and SFO from Tokyo within the last 6 months. There was almost no one in the Global entry line at Dulles but everyone else in the regular line. SFO was a different story with about a third of the flight with Global entry. United flights both times

They've updated the kiosks a some airports - flew into DFW from LHR in December and no sliding passport into kiosk, no answering questions on the screen - just photo and while I was hesitating about what else I needed to do the birder agent at the exit called out to me by name and said I was through and to just walk out - no printout or anything.

One time I was transiting in Miami and was wheel chair assisted (tore a ligament in Peru :( ) and the attendant wheeled through the whole process and when we git to Global Entry -- and to the kiosk for the photo I was still sitting in the chair and was flipping the foot rests so I could stand up for the camera . . . it snapped the picture and when she wheeled me up to the border agent I handed over a photo barely showing an inch of the top of my head - and a very clear shot of the 6' 2" gentleman who was standing behind me waiting for the kiosk. Uh -- it wasn't even me and the agent didn't blink an eye. I think most of Global Entry is theater

[QUOTE=janisj;17564575]They've updated the kiosks a some airports - flew into DFW from LHR in December and no sliding passport into kiosk, no answering questions on the screen - just photo and while I was hesitating about what else I needed to do the birder agent at the exit called out to me by name and said I was through and to just walk out - no printout or anything.

januisj, this is what they have at DTW. When the agent yelled my name I sort of went into panic mode. I had not traveled internationally in about 20 year. He just asked me what I was bringing back. I think that it was the stern look on his face that had me frazzled.
.

[QUOTE=janisj;17564575]They've updated the kiosks a some airports - flew into DFW from LHR in December and no sliding passport into kiosk, no answering questions on the screen - just photo and while I was hesitating about what else I needed to do the birder agent at the exit called out to me by name and said I was through and to just walk out - no printout or anything.


Janis, I have seen this at quite a few airports in the last couple of years, including AUS, my home airport. I didn't realize some airports still have the old style kiosks where you scan the passport, get a printout, etc. If those aren't already gone for good, I hope they will be soon.

A warning!
 

Daughter and I planned a NYC visit on the spur of the moment just this month (May 2024), with less than 2 weeks to prepare. She urged me to get my global entry renewed….she had just gotten hers renewed within a matter of days. And since I'm a mother who 'does what she's told,' I hopped right on it. But, too fast a hop. I did not pay sufficient attention when I googled the site and in haste, I clicked on something with a red, white and blue logo that appeared official. When I finished filling in the info, the filing total came up - which, in addition to the $99 my daughter said she'd paid, had an additional fee of $149. I'm not normally brainless and flibberty, but daughter had made it seem urgent, so I just went ahead and completed the form, accepting the higher charge.

Turns out, I was hooked up w some independent agency that charges a fee for processing/shepherding the application that any - attentive and non-flibberty - person can do on their own. When I realized this, I complained that I felt scammed and was given a $37 refund. Importantly, this 'agency' was NOT a scam (just opportunistic capitalism at work), and I did receive confirmation of my renewal within about a week.

But….be aware and look closely.

Mine was set to expire in October so I renewed at the start of this month.

It’s showing as pending though they charged my card over 3 weeks ago.