If you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident or any citizens of Colombia, United Kingdom, Germany, Panama, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and Mexico, we can’t stress enough how awesome Global Entry is. I have to say it’s the best $200 ($100 per applicant) we have ever spent, and it’s good for FIVE years! The amount of time you save in the immigration line every time you come back into the country is worth more than the $200 you paid for the application fee. Not only that, Global Entry includes TSA Pre-Check, so you can also zip through security when you leave the country!
The application process is pretty simple. You go to their online site and follow their instructions on how to create an account and fill out the application form. You have to pay the $100 non-refundable fee right away whether you are approved or not. If you get approved, that’s great… but if you don’t, then you lose that $100 fee, so make sure you read the eligibility page before you apply.
Once you apply and submit your application, it takes a few days for them to check your eligibility. If all looks good, you will receive a message in your account that you are conditionally approved and you can then make an appointment for the in-person interview. So after a few days of your application, log back into your account to check on the status.
If and when you get conditionally approved, the next step is to schedule an interview at one of their Global Entry enrollment centers, which are usually locations near borders or at major city airports. Our nearest center is the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Their interviews book out months in advance, I think we had to wait 3 months for ours.
On interview day, make sure you arrive on time if not early and don’t forget to bring your passport with you and a print out of your letter of conditional approval. You have to check in with their office first, and then you sit and wait outside until they call your name to go inside. Once they call you inside, they ask you some questions and verify some information such as the countries you had visited based on what you put down on your application, and whether those were business or leisure trips.
I was lucky, I got this officer who was originally from Hawaii, and because Darren and I lived in Hawaii for almost 7 years and I still carry my Hawaii Driver License (which I needed to show the officer), we started chitchatting about the island. At that point, he was super nice to me ‘cuz I could “talk story” with him and I think he pretty much approved my application without even asking the rest of the questions like the other officer did with Darren!
The officer then showed us how to use the kiosk, just like the real one at immigration. You stick in your passport, look into the camera while you simultaneously answer those questions that they normally ask you on the Customs Declaration Form that the flight attendants give out prior to landing. Then the machine will ask you to scan your fingerprints and if all goes well, the machine will spit out this piece of paper that you take with you to show the customs officer. Eventually, he will take that piece of paper from you.
Within 2 weeks, you will get the official Global Entry Card in the mail. You need to activate the card on their online system within 30 days of receiving it. You don’t have to bring the card with you when you fly because your passport is already scanned for Global Entry during the interview, but if you are driving across the border or if you want to have a 2nd form of ID other than your passport, then the Global Entry Card is very useful. You will also be given the Known Traveler Number, which you could enter into your frequent flier programs to be eligible for TSA Pre-Check.
For Canadian citizens and residents, you are also eligible for Global Entry benefits through the NEXUS program. My parents live near Toronto, and even though I am neither Canadian nor a NEXUS member, the last time I visited them the U.S. immigration line was super long, so I showed my Global Entry Card to the officer at the NEXUS line. I gave him the biggest smile and asked very nicely if he would let Daren and I use the NEXUS line. He checked my card, smiled back and said YES! So from that point on, we always carry our Global Entry Cards with us when we travel. You never know when you can use it!
Our Global Entry will expire in 2020, and we are definitely going to renew it for sure! We can’t even imagine not having it.
Leave a reply