Global Entry Enrollment Interview Experiences and Questions Asked in the Interview
Aug 27, 2018, 11:26 pm
#168
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: LAS/GRU/DUB
Programs: Amex, JPMR, Nexus
Posts: 365
Aug 28, 2018, 7:58 am
#169
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta Gold. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Explorist.
Posts: 1,677
Apr 27, 2019, 4:05 pm
#170
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 6
Well as posted earlier.....Had Interview today (Saturday). Very nice Lady.....I walked in office...waited to be called about (10 minutes). She was the nicest government person I ever dealt with. The Interview was simple as pie. She ask me my Name.....DOB.....Had I been to Mexico or Canada.....and proceeded to tell me the rules and privileges.....and I can't share my membership. Done.....all of less than 10 minutes. I was shocked.....then took a pic of my handsome face and told me to log on when I get home for Approval notification.
I was in and out the entire process in less then 25 minutes total. Passport by Air.....Card by Land or Sea. They tell you to bring valid Driver License.....she never ask for it. Hope this helps anyone that is waiting to be Interviewed.
Thanks to all the people that helped me.
I was in and out the entire process in less then 25 minutes total. Passport by Air.....Card by Land or Sea. They tell you to bring valid Driver License.....she never ask for it. Hope this helps anyone that is waiting to be Interviewed.
Thanks to all the people that helped me.
Apr 28, 2019, 12:59 pm
#171
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: near Nashville, TN USA
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 185
We had our interviews at the Nashville center yesterday. Arrived early and both seen in less than 15 minutes.
He asked me the last foreign country I visited. My reply, “hmm, I should have thought about this ahead of time. I think it was Israel.”
He asked if I had any upcoming travel plans. I knew that answer immediately.
He began and ended the interview by asking if I’d ever been arrested. No, both times.
Took 5 minutes total. Website said Approved by the time I checked an hour later.
He asked me the last foreign country I visited. My reply, “hmm, I should have thought about this ahead of time. I think it was Israel.”
He asked if I had any upcoming travel plans. I knew that answer immediately.
He began and ended the interview by asking if I’d ever been arrested. No, both times.
Took 5 minutes total. Website said Approved by the time I checked an hour later.
Last edited by MarTN; Apr 28, 2019 at 1:00 pm Reason: Emoji didn’t work
Apr 28, 2019, 2:54 pm
#172
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC | qantas | IHG | Hilton Honors | Priority Pass | Nandos
Posts: 869
I passed through JFK last week and found myself being interviewed 'on arrival':
No question about: 'why do you want GE'
My memory went when he asked 'where have you been?'; so he walked me through it.
I've been to Hong Kong a couple of times recently, so I was asked if I'd been to Macau (no) and then: 'have you you ever stepped foot on mainland China?' - again no.
Have you been to Mexico or Canada - again, no.
The most surreal question was: 'have you been to Jersey?'. Yes, I said, do you know the Channel Isles?. Turns out he meant New Jersey! And no, I haven't been there! We shared a laugh!
Overall, a friendly interview. I was told at the end that I'd been approved - but no emails before or after.
No question about: 'why do you want GE'
My memory went when he asked 'where have you been?'; so he walked me through it.
I've been to Hong Kong a couple of times recently, so I was asked if I'd been to Macau (no) and then: 'have you you ever stepped foot on mainland China?' - again no.
Have you been to Mexico or Canada - again, no.
The most surreal question was: 'have you been to Jersey?'. Yes, I said, do you know the Channel Isles?. Turns out he meant New Jersey! And no, I haven't been there! We shared a laugh!
Overall, a friendly interview. I was told at the end that I'd been approved - but no emails before or after.
Apr 28, 2019, 6:18 pm
#173
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 629
Wasn’t going to do my interview until the day after my birthday the first week of October, but an international trip has popped up two weeks from now so I went ahead and did my interview on Thursday.
Customs agent at reception never asked to see my conditional approval letter, just passport. Agent that interviewed me never asked to see my drivers license to prove residency nor did he ask why I have two addresses. All he asked was if I had ever been arrested and who I worked for and what I did for a living and for my DOB. He was quite concerned I had a cell phone in my pacsafe passport wallet and made me open it to prove otherwise (phone was in my pocket).
After those very brief questions he photographed me and did my fingerprints, told me I’d receive my card in about 10 days and sent me on my way.
Tried to use the passID for a flight tomorrow and pre-check isn’t showing up so I switched to my TT number. I guess there’s a lag between customs and TSA.
By the way, don’t try to bring a latte into the interview room.
Customs agent at reception never asked to see my conditional approval letter, just passport. Agent that interviewed me never asked to see my drivers license to prove residency nor did he ask why I have two addresses. All he asked was if I had ever been arrested and who I worked for and what I did for a living and for my DOB. He was quite concerned I had a cell phone in my pacsafe passport wallet and made me open it to prove otherwise (phone was in my pocket).
After those very brief questions he photographed me and did my fingerprints, told me I’d receive my card in about 10 days and sent me on my way.
Tried to use the passID for a flight tomorrow and pre-check isn’t showing up so I switched to my TT number. I guess there’s a lag between customs and TSA.
By the way, don’t try to bring a latte into the interview room.
May 3, 2019, 8:46 pm
#174
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: United, American, Delta, Hyatt, Hilton, Hertz, Marriott
Posts: 14,807
Wasn’t going to do my interview until the day after my birthday the first week of October, but an international trip has popped up two weeks from now so I went ahead and did my interview on Thursday.
Customs agent at reception never asked to see my conditional approval letter, just passport. Agent that interviewed me never asked to see my drivers license to prove residency nor did he ask why I have two addresses. All he asked was if I had ever been arrested and who I worked for and what I did for a living and for my DOB. He was quite concerned I had a cell phone in my pacsafe passport wallet and made me open it to prove otherwise (phone was in my pocket).
After those very brief questions he photographed me and did my fingerprints, told me I’d receive my card in about 10 days and sent me on my way.
Tried to use the passID for a flight tomorrow and pre-check isn’t showing up so I switched to my TT number. I guess there’s a lag between customs and TSA.
By the way, don’t try to bring a latte into the interview room.
Customs agent at reception never asked to see my conditional approval letter, just passport. Agent that interviewed me never asked to see my drivers license to prove residency nor did he ask why I have two addresses. All he asked was if I had ever been arrested and who I worked for and what I did for a living and for my DOB. He was quite concerned I had a cell phone in my pacsafe passport wallet and made me open it to prove otherwise (phone was in my pocket).
After those very brief questions he photographed me and did my fingerprints, told me I’d receive my card in about 10 days and sent me on my way.
Tried to use the passID for a flight tomorrow and pre-check isn’t showing up so I switched to my TT number. I guess there’s a lag between customs and TSA.
By the way, don’t try to bring a latte into the interview room.
I've seen talk (including above) about a conditional approval letter. I have logged on the Trusted Travelers Program dashboard, where it confirms conditional approval, allows me to review the application and permits me to schedule an interview. What I can't find is a conditional approval letter. I can click notification and see "Conditional Approval Notification," which appears to be a link, but isn't active--nothing downloads either. Apparently I was approved on the 24th or April (I applied on the 13th, 11 days earlier; the email didn't arrive until May 2. What am I missing? Should there be a conditional approval letter on the dash board.
As a flashback to the last century, I checked and rechecked all the USPS mail I have received over the past two weeks, nothing!
May 5, 2019, 11:07 pm
#176
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
May 7, 2019, 8:13 pm
#177
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,399
Interviewed at DTW last year. Never asked to see proof residency or conditional approval letter. Sounds like a common question is why you want GE and I wasn't asked that. All she did was took my fingerprints and my photo. She asked if I had been to Canada in the last five years and asked if I had been to Mexico in the past five years and asked if I had every been arrested. She gave me a small folding card explaining GE benefits and told me I had precheck included as a benefit and she said my passport was going to expire before my GE would and to make sure to upgdate my passport info when I renewed it and that I could use the Nexus lanes on the US side only on land crossing from canada and I would have an email with a status change in 24 hours. Only took ten minutes. I got on the shuttle to catch my flight at the other terminal at DTW and had already been approved.
May 8, 2019, 1:41 pm
#178
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 3
Global Entry Interview.
Hello Fellow FTers. I've been using this site for a few years to get travel tips and tricks but I've never had any information to contribute...until today.
I am a 1st time Global Entry applicant. I applied on April 1, 2019 and was approved today April 12, 2019. I currently have a TSA Precheck number which expires in June. I am also a government employee so that may have helped speed up the process. My interview is scheduled for May 6th. There were lots of earlier times, including next week but that didnt work for my schedule.
Thanks for all the advise over the years.
I am a 1st time Global Entry applicant. I applied on April 1, 2019 and was approved today April 12, 2019. I currently have a TSA Precheck number which expires in June. I am also a government employee so that may have helped speed up the process. My interview is scheduled for May 6th. There were lots of earlier times, including next week but that didnt work for my schedule.
Thanks for all the advise over the years.
Following up to my earlier post. After hearing of my quick success, my fiance applied for Global Entry. She just got approved after only 10 days, and one of those was Good Friday, a government holiday. We have our interviews scheduled for next week. Thanks for all the advice/help. Looks to me like the approval process is speeding up.
Interview consisted of the following exchange.
Agent- Is your name XXXXXXX?
Me- Yes
Agent- May I have your passport?
Me- (Hands him passport)
Agent- Why are you applying for Global Entry?
Me- My fiance and I are planning to travel internationally more and I'd like to save time.
Agent- Good. This is a good program for that. Do you have any current flights scheduled?
Me- Not at this time.
Agent- (shows me global entry card) You will receive one of these in about 7-10 business days. Here is your global entry number. Enter it on your frequent flyer account and whenever you make reservations.
Me- Ok. So does this mean I'm approved?
Agent- I have to take your fingerprints and picture. Oh have you ever been convicted of an immigration crime or misdemeanor?
Me- Nope.
Agent- ok. I just need to take your fingerprints. (Takes digital fingerprints). Now look at this camera. (snaps picture with computer webcam) Any questions?
Me- Nope. Thank you.
Agent. Here is your passport. Here is some information on the program. I will walk you out now.
Total time- 4.5 minutes
My Fiance was about 10 minutes after me. She had a different agent.
The exchange was about the same though he did not ask her about any upcoming travel plans. She does have a domestic trip later this month. She currently has a KTN through Pre Check. She asked the agent if she needed to update her number on the airline website for this trip. He told her no that the Pre check KTN would still work but for future trips, use the new Global Entry PassID.
She was in there about 3 minutes.
Neither of us received an email telling us we were approved but about 3 hours later, we checked our dashboards and we both had been approved.
So from start to finish, my application to approval right at 35 days. My fiance was about 20 days. That includes waiting a week until we had a day off work to go to Chicago and do the interview.
May 12, 2019, 2:45 pm
#179
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
My 14 year old daughters had their interview today. The agent after taking my license and my global entry card made me and my other daughter sit down
The daughter who went first was asked if she traveled to Canada or Mexico in the last 5 years. She was also asked which middle school she goes to since the agent lives in the same town as us and his daughter is the same grade. Took her picture and fingerprints. Other daughter was only asked her middle name.
When he gave me my ids back, he said program works the same as when I got mine
I checked when we got home and girls had their approval letter.
The daughter who went first was asked if she traveled to Canada or Mexico in the last 5 years. She was also asked which middle school she goes to since the agent lives in the same town as us and his daughter is the same grade. Took her picture and fingerprints. Other daughter was only asked her middle name.
When he gave me my ids back, he said program works the same as when I got mine
I checked when we got home and girls had their approval letter.