I did a search on Global Entry and figured this may be the best thread to post this in... Hope I am right.

We fly overseas often with family and my wife goes more often than I do so I really should have had her get the GE instead of me--at least after what I ran into last night...

Anyway, I got the Amex Platinum and it gives the $100 statement credit for the GE app process. So I applied for myself and read through the materials. I figured I had not missed anything but maybe I had--but I didn't think so. Maybe others here can clarify for me.

My GE interview was in my home city of BOS last night so I went in prepared to go through the motions.

They were very nice and all was seemingly well but the first thing that appeared to be a potential snag, for which I actually got lucky, was this: I had applied for this using my drivers license which expires on Jan 9. When the GE lady asked me for my license I handed her the new one which had just been provided to me by my state. She said, "This is not the one you applied with." I happened to actually have the old one on me still so I showed her that. Fortunately that one worked out but I asked her what people do in that situation and she said they had not yet run into it. Wow, how sad! I mean, who knew? I was a bit taken back by this but again, I DID get lucky here. Good thing I still happened to have my old one on me. After all it's not yet expired. I will cut it up on the 9th anyway but still.

Well, being glad that part worked out, the next thing was that they finger print you, ask questions about flights, travel, where you live, blah blah. All good.

Then she asked if I had ever been arrested and/or convicted of any crime. EVER. Now we all know that for most everything else in life, like say, a job app or something, they may ask such a question but they add "in the past 10 years" So because she said EVER, meaning my whole life, I said yes.

I have no problem disclosing this and nothing to hide and no regrets, so I simply told her what I could remember. Yeah, back in college in the 1980s--parties, something in a bar, stealing a road sign, stuff like that. In some cases they'd arrest people and toss 'em out with a $20 fee, sometimes you have to to court and pay a $100 fine, and I recall much of this being merely that, or maybe "continued without a finding," meaning there wasn't even a conviction. I said I honestly could NOT remember back that far and really had never been in a position to need to until right here and now. That was all so long ago and now I have a wife, a job, a house, and family, etc... who thinks back on that unless hanging out with old college buddies remembering way back when... Could I have been convicted for a misdemeanor when I had my fake ID? I cant remember. I mean I know we all got caught and had to pay a fine ($100?) but in those days this was no big deal. It was the 80s. Was it just a fine or was there more? I dunno. really I do not. I really had never cared except when it happened. But once settled I never looked back and had no reason to.

I can say that in the early 90s I remember writing to 3 states where I might had ever been involved with anything like this and asking them officially if I had any record and they all wrote back NO. I remember one wanted my finger prints and another wanted a notarized request. But today things are different and we all know those stories of say, some executive for a big US firm who needs to fly to Canada or something and finds out the hard way he cant get in because of some weed he got caught smoking in like 1975 or something. But I had not been in that situation and have never had a problem crossing any boarder yet.

But the lady said, "Well this IS a trusted traveler program..." to which I thought: So what does being a trusted traveler have to do with partying in college 1/4 a century ago?--but I didn't say anything. It was of course understood that my disclosing the info was a good thing and as said I had no problem with that. I have nothing to hide anyway. The lady understood that my issues were things of the past and should not really matter if they were not records. But I did not know if they were or not.

Again they were nice, and so she asked another officer there who knew more about these things, and the second officer suggested that if I were now concerned about all this that I should once again call/write to whatever state or court and try to glean records that are more easily brought up with today's computerized systems. He suggested I do this because, for example: What if one case I thought was just a fine was mistakenly coded and I got a record for it? If I had info on this I could get that fixed and then appeal the GE decision should it come back as a denial... stuff like that.

Makes sense, but the fact is I really have nothing by the way of 25 year old paperwork and this is going to take a ton of work to pull out old things, memories and such--AND I have ALREADY been on the GE interview so what's the point anyway? Either I will get denied or approved.

It was explained to me that if a person had any felony ever--even past 10 years ago, they would be denied. Ok I pass on that one.

If a person had one misdemeanor in the past 10 years that may be ok. Not more than one though.

If a person had 2 misdemeanors EVER, that's no good. So this is where I am concerned. Again I do not care that I may have had those issues so long ago and I could care less if they still show up on some FBI file. Whatever. I am not worried about the past. Gee, I should have also included that I got suspended from school as a child for a day for tugging some girl's hair! lol

What bothers me is this--and this is where I am not certain I saw ANYTHING in the entire GE process that mentioned it until I was in the interview:

Their app process and the email that tells you what to bring did not appear to mention anything about this arrest/pre-ten year records thing. In other words, they were asking me for something in the meeting last night that I was NOT prepared for. This matters to me because if I had known--if I had ANY inkling that I might NOT get this GE card and not be approved, I wouldn't even have bothered TO apply to begin with! I would have passed it up saying, well this is just not for me. I would have saved the $100 and had my wife go in and get the GE for herself. The only illicit thing she's ever done is to marry me hahaha.

In other words, I once again have NO problem with my own past, but I really wish I knew what I was getting into before I wasted an evening, $100 and the $9 in airport parking to go feel down and depressed over something I already paid the fines on 25 years ago anyway! I even missed a town event my family and I go to every year around this time so it was a night away from the kids that I wished I was home for. Kinda frustrating if you ask me!

I do not dig the fact that in the GW Bush era this whole thing was started that brings up ancient records and prevents people from traveling. It's really a bad set of laws and makes me angry and worried about our future. But it had not affected me until now. I had no idea such things could happen because, like I said, I have been able to travel everywhere anyway so I didn't even think I was one of those on any list that mattered anyway. And now, who knows--maybe I am and this could backfire! I mean, what if these people decide, hey, we now think you SHOULD have been on some list and you now ARE--just because you opened the envelope by going into the GE meeting! Geesh...

Any thoughts on this welcomed. I kinda want my $100 back if I DO get denied and if there was in fact no reference to this material being needed when I first applied. Because if there was no reference to it, then I feel I was misled if that were indeed the case. Of course if there was mention of this sort of thing being part of the process, then so be it. I either get denied or approved and the $100 is spent.

I have yet to find out of course--and maybe I turn up lucky and get approved anyway, but still, this sort of thing really bugs me. If the system is not perfect I sure hope I am not dragged down as a result of that.

MM