My wife and I both had new passport numbers. Hers was approved within less than a week, mine is still pending more than 200 days later.

It appears to be random. Some applications are allocated to a queue that takes forever, some to a queue that is processed in days.

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I have a new passport number, but that's the only change. An address change would likely trigger more in-depth review though, I would expect, as would a name change or anything similar.

I can’t imagine a new pp number matters much, if at all, since those can be updated online anyway, with GE/PRE continuing to work seamlessly.

Applied: January 25th
Conditional approval:January 28th.

I do have to interview again which is annoying but not the end of the world. Hopefully I can fit it in during an upcoming trip.

Approved today, no interviews. Applied July 7th. Maybe sending in the contact form last week did goose it. I guess there's no real way to know...

Well, I applied on July 7th, still no dice. I did sent the contact form last week, and no reply. So, almost identical circumstances but different results. Sigh.

Update (1/30/2020): Got a reply to my inquiry at the 5 business day mark (they said 3-5 business days). Unfortunately, a boilerplate response with no useful information and a broken link.

Approved 1/29/2020...no interview required.

Nope, I was wrong. It was two days. Just under 42 hours, to be more precise.

Approved, no interview.

Asked above but no replies: Has anyone who was approved for renewal without an interview required asked for a new GE card (i.e., a card with an updated photo)? Are such requests entertained? Thanks.

It’s been possible before. I know it has been done for some of those whose US passports have been replaced to show a sex change (although in such cases, it’s not necessarily needed to get a new GE card or even deal with CBP in-person for the TTP updates as passport update online is enough with sex info auto-migrating through to DHS IIRC). It did cost $25, same as with wanting a replacement card that was lost or stolen.

It involved making an appointment at GE enrollment centers, but I don’t know if this has previously also been handled at EOA facilities too.

Apparently, it’s been the kind of information sought out by others too:

https://transcendlegal.org/sites/def...structions.pdf

Thanks very much. Definitely not worth going through all of that. I was just thinking about it after walking past a couple GE airport offices recently and realizing my GE card is now my most outdated piece of ID. Thought maybe the renewal fee included an updated card, if desired, but that's apparently not the case.

In what has become an increasingly rare opportunity, perhaps there is still a walk-in “interview” possibility at some GE enrollment center to put in for a new GE card for $25 that is more up-to-date.

Given how fast GE cards seem to get produced and mailed out after final approval for a renewal, getting the card updated for free is probably out of the picture still. There was a process for GE members without GE cards to get GE cards if circumstances changed such that the persons qualified for and needed GE cards. That was for a cost of $15, but that was so many years ago that I doubt that I could quickly find someone who recalls whether their photo was recaptured for the GE card or if they just got the GE card with the photo already on file with DHS.

When I first got GE they were not issuing cards. But they did take a picture at the very end of the initial interview. It was sort of, ":eek:h - I almost forgot - look over here <click>" and the picture was taken. I didn't think anything of it. Later, when they started issuing cards, I paid $15 and requested one. It arrived and had as my picture the absurdly bad picture - that almost didn't have me in it - that had been taken during my interview.

Unlike many here I was approved in short order:

Applied for renewal first week of Jan.
Conditional approval 2 days later (required an in person appt).
Appts avail in my city 2 weeks later - although due to travels I set appt for today.
After in-person appt fully approved as of today.

Thus just over 3 weeks to full approval.

Seems like part of this was being in the right city as Mia Int'l has many available open appts. Quick perusal of this thread shows some cities with 4-6+ monthly waits. I wonder if you're able to apply in a different city than your home one? If so... come visit sunny Miami this winter and have it taken care of much more quickly. I do know you can do your appt upon return in any city if coming back from an Int'l trip.