I recently renewed my Global Entry membership with the Department of Homeland Security, and I was pleasantly surprised at how efficient it has become! Compared to the 6-7 month delay in getting interview time slots we experienced 5 years ago, this was a world of difference! How did the enrollment program change in the last 5 years? The key change is there are more options for enrollment. Travelers can now choose to enroll in 3 different ways:
- Scheduling an in person interview. This was the key issue for the delay 5 years ago when Global Entry became popular. An in person interview time slow was so hard to find that the Enrollment Centers had to stay open 24-7 to meet the demand, and even with these hours, they still had trouble keeping up.
- Enrollment on arrival. This allows conditionally approved applicants to complete their interviews when clearing customs after arriving in the US.
- Scheduling a Zoom interview. I am not sure when they introduced this option, but this was likely driven by the needs from the pandemic. This is the least stressful and easiest way to interview for Global Entry enrollment (not to mention safest since Covid-19 is still out there), in my opinion. Because the interview does not have to be tied to a certain airport location or time zone, there are more available slots for you to choose from, and enrollment centers can manage their under-utilized capability accordingly. It’s a win-win! This was the option I chose – within a few minutes of receiving conditional approval for my renewal, I was able to book an appointment for an interview the next day.
The interview itself was as expected. If you do interview, make sure you have the necessary documents with you, including your passport and your driver’s license. Over Zoom you will have to show the documents to the camera for the officer to review/confirm. Then the officer will ask you questions related to your travel history and other personal/professional information. The interview process took no more than 10 minutes. It was easy, and I was quite pleased with the experience.
And then the cherry on top – even though the website said there will be months of delay in processing my application, I received my new Global Entry card in 5 days. It only took 9 days for the entire process end to end – from the day I submitted my renewal application to receiving my card in the mail. I was pleasantly surprised!
How was your Global Entry application/renewal process?