Guide to Global Entry Application and Interview Process.note¶
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Guide to Global Entry: Application and Interview
Process
by | Jan 7, 2019 | |
We both have Global Entry and love it. Global Entry has shortened our time at US passport control and has
also made us eligible for TSA PreCheck. We would recommend Global Entry for anyone that travels
internationally – even a couple of times a year. If you are thinking of applying for Global Entry, read on
for our Guide to the the Global Entry Application and Interview Process.
Contents [ ]
What is Global Entry?
allows travelers to enter the US more quickly. Instead of waiting in a long line to see a
border control agent, you answer a few questions at a kiosk, scan your fingerprints, show your receipt to
an agent and exit the passport control area.
Here is the description of the Global Entry program according to the
website:
“Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited
clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the
United States through automatic kiosks at select airports.
At airports, program members proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable
passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint
verification and complete a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt
and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit.
Travelers must be pre-approved for the Global Entry program. All applicants undergo a rigorous
background check and in-person interview before enrollment.”
Global Entry Includes TSA Pre-Check
Although is completely different than Global Entry, one of the benefits of obtaining
Global Entry is being able to qualify for TSA Pre-Check on domestic and international flights.
If you qualify for TSA Pre-Check on a flight, you are allowed to go through security without removing
your shoes, belt, light outerwear, laptop and bag with liquids. There is often a separate TSA Pre-Check
line that is usually faster. You will know if you are eligible for TSA Pre-Check as it will be printed on
your boarding pass near your name. Please note: TSA Pre ✓ is only available when flying on certain
airlines – the current list of airlines can be found on the .
There are , including through Global Entry. The application fee for
TSA Precheck is $85 but for $15 more you can get Global Entry which also includes TSA Pre-
Check. (See also related post )
The Travel Sisters Tips 113 comments
show
Global Entry
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection
TSA Pre-Check
TSA’s website
several ways to get TSA Pre-Check
TSA Precheck vs. Global Entry: Which Is Best For You?
Cost of Global Entry and Eligibility
The cost of Global Entry is a $100 non-refundable application fee (the fee is non-refundable even if your
application is denied). Global Entry is . After 5 years you will have
to reapply and pay another $100 application fee. (Tip: There are a couple of ways to get Global Entry for
free if you have certain credit cards or elite status – see related post:
).
U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents and citizens of a few other countries (citizens of Argentina,
United Kingdom, Colombia, Germany, India, Panama, Singaore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan
and Mexican nationals) are eligible for Global Entry membership. Canadian citizens and residents are
eligible for Global Entry benefits through membership in the NEXUS program. Here is a link to the
current .
Can You Apply for Global Entry During Government Shutdown?
No. Due to the , CBP will not be processing Global Entry applications nor
conducting interviews. If you already been conditionally approved for Global Entry, but have an interview
scheduled your interview will be cancelled. In addition, there is a notice on the website it was “last
updated on December 21, 2018 and will not be updated until after funding is enacted.” (UPDATE:
January, 2019)
Global Entry Application Process
There are 2 steps to the Global Entry application process:
1) Complete an application online, and
2) Complete an in person interview with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at an enrollment
center
In order to apply for Global Entry, the first step is to create a Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) account at
and complete an application online. (The Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) website
replaced the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) on October 1, 2017 so if you see references to
GOES it refers to the older version of the website.)
You will have to pay the $100 Global Entry application fee at this time.
Following is the list of questions asked in the online application for Global Entry:
valid for 5 years from your birthday
How to Get TSA PreCheck or Glo
bal Entry For Free
Global Entry eligibility requirements
U.S. government shutdown
h
ttps://ttp.cbp.dhs.gov/
Personal information (name, email address, gender, eye color, height, language preference)
Other names used
Date and place of birth
Contact information (home, mobile and work phone number)
Citizenship information (passport number, date of issue and expiration date)
Driver’s license (number and expiration date)
Current address
Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense in the United States or any other country?
Have you ever received a waiver of inadmissibility to the U.S. from a U.S. government agency?
Have you ever been found in violation of customs laws?
Have you ever been found in violation of immigration laws?
Scheduling the Global Entry Interview
Once your application is reviewed and conditionally approved, you will received an email stating there is a
message in your Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) account. (It took about 2-3 weeks for Patti’s application
to be reviewed but Matilda’s took only about a week.) The message instructs you to schedule an interview
at one of the within 30 days. After logging in, we were able to print
off a letter with the conditional approval and schedule an appointment for an interview online.
Interviews are available at the various Global Entry enrollment centers. The enrollment centers used to be
located at major airports and borders but there are now a few centers in several cities. Availability for
interviews varies by enrollment center – for example, Chicago O’Hare did not have any appointments for
2 months but if you keep logging in you can frequently find an earlier opening if someone has
cancelled. If you need to change your interview you are able to reschedule interviews online as well.
However according to the website, any changes within 24 hours of the appointment must be done by
contacting the enrollment center directly.
On July 7, 2017, CBP a new option to schedule your interview faster:
which allows conditionally- approved Global Entry applicants to complete their interview
while clearing CBP processing at select airports.
Global Entry Interview Process
According to the letter, the following documents should be brought to the interview:
Address history (other addresses in past five years)
Current employment status (employer name, employment period, occupation, street address of
employer and phone)
Employment history (other employers in past five years)
Travel history (list any countries other than the US, Canada and Mexico traveled to within the past 5
years)
Additional information:
Global Entry Enrollment Centers
announced Global Entry Enrollme
nt on Arrival
A copy of the Conditional Approval Notification (which the officer did not ask to see)
Passport
A document to establish residency (such as driver’s license, utility bill, rental or mortgage statement)
The enrollment office at Chicago O’Hare was easy to find. It is located at Terminal 5, Lower Level right
next to McDonald’s. Because it was at arrivals, we did not have to go through security. Upon entering the
door there is a waiting room with a few seats and an officer behind a glass pane. We presented our
passports and were asked to wait.
There were not a lot of seats in the waiting area and it actually became pretty full. The officers were very
laid back about calling people in for the interviews. They just came out and asked who was next instead of
calling people by name. We were allowed to go in together but took turns getting interviewed by the same
officer.
Global Entry Interview Questions
After looking at the documents we were asked to bring along (passport and license) and comparing the
information to the application, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer asked us a bunch of
questions including the following:
After answering his questions, we were approved and he took our photos and finger prints. He advised us
that the number in our letter is our known traveler number which we could use immediately to qualify for
TSA Pre-Check. All we needed to do was log into our frequent flyer account and put in the number in the
known traveler number box. He also said we would receive a card that can be used to enter the US if
driving from Canada or Mexico which we received 10 days after our interview.
Our Experience Using Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check
Since receiving Global Entry we have used it several times upon entering the US at Chicago O’Hare and
we have breezed through passport control. We did not have to fill out the customs forms given to us on the
plane nor wait in line at passport control. Instead, we proceeded to a Global Entry kiosk which took our
photo and fingerprints. After answering a few questions at the kiosk, a piece of paper is printed which you
take to an officer for review and you are set.
We have also use TSA Pre-Check on a regular basis and it is much easier not have to remove our shoes
and jackets. Although we have read online reports of TSA Pre-Check lines sometimes being longer than
the regular lines, we found the TSA Pre-Check lines to be shorter.
Have you ever been arrested?
Have you ever transported something where the contents were unknown?
Have you ever repudiated American citizenship?
Do you have a second passport or claim to citizenship in another country?
Have you ever broken customs or immigration laws?
Are you a US resident?