My problem is that SLC only does appointments 2 hours per day, Monday through Friday and there doesn't seem to be as much turnover as some of the other centers.

I just rescheduled for NOLA in October when I will be traveling through on business. I'll keep checking SLC and hoping for something to open up before then.

I basically gave up trying to book an appointment for my parents in SFO as it had to be on an exact weekend...

Instead, they'll just make a day trip out of going to Port Clinton.

SFO does accept walk ins.

I was too slow on that one. Twice seen something open up on the 28th but I can't do that day unless it's early morning or late night. Refreshing the GOES calendar might be more addictive than Pokemon Go.

Your reward is real, not virtual.:)

Hah. I finally set up the python script and was about to trigger it, refreshed the page, and I've got an appointment tomorrow. Truly rewarding.

I haven't played Pokemon Go yet but I might just download it now to compare. Not sure anything will match this thrill though.

Someone in this thread and another asked when the GE (Global Entry) scheduling availability is updated.

GE schedule IS updated in real-time. Fact.

Note: PHL automated voice greeting (also confirms above) says that they do not accept walk-ins and that you will be turned away. The CBP Officers that I had said they WILL take walk-ins. They had 4 officers rotating doing interviews. THEY ARE EXTREMELY FRIENDLY!!! I cannot stress that enough.

PHL GE Location:

Go to International Arrivals (Arrivals Rd Philadelphia, PA) Terminal A Parking garage. Do not pull into the short-term. Enter the garage. Drive to third floor of garage. When on the third floor make right turns and you will eventually see A West. There is an entry door on the side (where you will find at least one officer smoking at a time) which takes you straight to the CBP GE Entry office. There is a button outside of the GE door (which the door is loudly marked by a giant floor sign) to the left of the door that doesn't look much like a button at all. Press and they will answer you.

Congratulations! See, it was not that difficult. Trust me, high from finding a close in slot is hard to describe.:) I ended up finding a close in slot for three friends.:D Mind you I did it the old fashion way without a plug in/script. They all wondered how I did it in such a short time frame.

My experience as well--First appointment was some months away, I took what was available.

But in subsequent weeks, more slots opened. I was unable to shift to these, but for a busy place like LAX TBIT, it was nice to see that it's worthwhile checking every few days or a week.

I'll also say that others who applied had learned of other offices in metro Los Angeles--the list includes The Usual Airports, but there are a few which are labeled with rather obscure information. One person made an appointment at an office in Culver City.

So if you want as early as possible, look carefully at the list of offices/venues, and test out anything that looks possible--even mystery codes--you can always change/cancel if it turns out to be somewhere across the country.

I'll add that the officers at LAX TBIT with whom I spoke (front desk and interview) were patient and good natured.

SFO advice: grabbed two perfect interview slots for Tues Aug 2nd (half an hour apart!) at around midnight last night. One popped up ten minutes after the other so I think it might have been a couple/family who walked in. Twenty minutes before that I saw them add a ton of slots for October weekends that hadn't existed before (although they are now all gone this morning). Then, the July 29 interview I gave up for this reschedule seemed to hang around for longer than I would've expected. So I would suggest checking in around midnight if you're playing the refresh game on the site - less traffic, and based on the other Global Entry thread, I think people might be having successful walk-ins around then because of the shift change.

The next available appointment at Boston Logan is... May of 2017 - 9 months away. :eek:

Something seriously wrong with this global entry thing...

I gave up on Boston...the Houlton Maine crossing on I-95 has appointments three days a week Tu-Th in the Woodstock (Belleville) NB customs warehouse just over the border in Canada. Multiple appointment times open the rest of August each of the three days each week. 5 hours up from Boston..not great but wife's GOES expires in February so at least we get it renewed before the expiration.

And I thought starting the renewal seven months ahead of time would be fine for a Logan appointment!

But, yes, something seriously wrong with this setup that even people starting so far ahead of time have to take off work and drive 10 hours to get an interview.

Keep trying. Interview availability seems to change rapidly.

I just scheduled an interview at the Houston Downtown Library location on 8/9, so I can confirm that it is still operating. However, I'm sure I got very lucky as it looked like it had very limited interview slots each day, I think ~15 or so between 10am-3pm (and I'm sure its much more convenient for most Houston folks than IAH).

Sadly, that applies to me. Warrick RI isn't much better at April '17. Bit of a rude shock after just getting my conditional approval today. Being based in Boston with no planned travel in the near future and no real alternative sites up in New England... Might try my luck at walking in to BOS or Warrick; any annectodal reports for either?

Global Entry interview schedule backlog
 

8/3/17 noon update:

BNA = 15 Feb 2017 What's weird is that the calendar appears to only show the Center open 4 hours/day (noon - 4p).



BNA = March 23, 2017

Went out to Interview Center to try walk-in about 45 mins after open. Office was at end of hall, no lights on in hall. Waiting room was locked. Waited in hall for about 20 mins, not a peep. No one in, no one out.

Back to lurking the scheduling calendar.

If you have the ability to sit at a desk and refresh constantly - I mean every minute - you can get an earlier apt. When I got my conditional approval, I booked Boston in April 2017. I got September apts for both me and my husband. But I spent most of 3 weeks refreshing the screen. Once, an apt popped up for the next day, but due to my conflicts I couldn't take it.

<quoted post is now off topic; this post was moved from the Global Entry - processing time thread>

Cheers, now back to refreshing the appointments page for MSP to get in before January 2017...

Can you drive up the North Shore to interview at the Grand Portage border crossing? That GE interview center seems to keep long hours (IIRC something like 8 am to 8 pm every day of the week versus something like 9 am to 4-5 pm Monday through Friday only at MSP) and might have better availability.

There's yet another GE interview place (this one is also NEXUS) in MN at a border crossing in the north central part of the state, accessible only by secondary (and worse?) roads, that offers interviews during more limited hours, maybe only three days a week. You might want to look for an interview slot there too, if it's feasible for you.

Otherwise, there's MKE and ORD, both of which are rumored not to have much availability but at least are drivable, and IIRC someplace in the Dakotas which looks like a long drive at least from Minneapolis.

Beyond this, can you schedule an interview at some other airport you're flying through anyway? That seems to be what many people are doing to get their GE final approval.

Looks like there are three locations in northern Mn. Grand Portage, Intl Falls and Warroad. Grand Portage is open 8-8 and Mon-Sun so I might take a long weekend up there and get it done. Their availability appears to be immediate. I'd fly to Duluth but it's another 3 hours northeast.:eek:

Depending on the time of your appointment, you could drive to Duluth easily in the evening after rush hour, overnight there, and do the appointment the next day. Hotel availability might be limited (or very expensive) further north during the summer high season.

The drive along the shore is very nice, assuming that you can avoid busy summer weekend migration times. My recollection is that from Duluth to the border is about four hours driving time, not three, even if one only stops briefly once to stretch or get gas. Enjoy!

ADDED: AAA says the drive time is 2:43. YMMV, especially if you hit bad traffic along MN-62. Of course, one potentially saves a lot of time by taking the expressway to Two Harbors or whatever rather than the shore route, but the shore route is fun to do in at least one direction.

Just keep checking back, even 1-2x/day helps. No need to be obsessive about refreshing, or go so far as to run the script that checks for interview times, unless you really want to. Slots are always opening up as people cancel. I got conditional approval in early July and the soonest interview was October. Just checking in 1-2x/day, within a few days I had rescheduled it to September. A few days later, August. Then a few days later on a Saturday, a slot opened up for the following Monday. Total time from conditional approval to interview less than two weeks.

8/4/17 noon update:
BNA = 19 Jan 2017 - that's two months in two days, and the avails have always shown up around noon-ish (when the center opens). Makes me wonder if the person there is checking some sort of inbox and updating. But I would think that the online scheduling borg handled it automatically. In any case, I'm revising my lurk plan to focus more around the 11am - 1pm hours.

8/3/17 noon update:
BNA = 15 Feb 2017 What's weird is that the calendar appears to only show the Center open 4 hours/day (noon - 4p).


BNA = March 23, 2017
Went out to Interview Center to try walk-in about 45 mins after open. Office was at end of hall, no lights on in hall. Waiting room was locked. Waited in hall for about 20 mins, not a peep. No one in, no one out.

Back to lurking the scheduling calendar.

Online scheduling calendar is live, 24/7. There are still people not on the internet (unable or unwilling) and use telephone. That is why I suggest checking when your local office is open. Good luck in your search.

When using the refresh method to look for a sudden opening, is it enough to just refresh the page (e.g. F5)? I mean, when you first select a center, it takes you to the first day on which there is/are opening(s). If you refresh, are you just going to see that same day again, regardless of the first opening? In which case you have to click on "select another center" and then select the same one again?

Or will pressing refresh automatically take you to the first available opening, even if there is now an opening on an earlier day?

Is there any other better way to do this?

thanks! zc

Also, does anyone know if Long Beach seaport GOES interviews are operational? It shows no calendar and no availability. thanks! zc

If I remember it correctly, each time you do a new search, select a center.

There is another way by using a plug in/script if you are tech savvy.

You do not see any availability at Long Beach, probably there is no availability currently.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-t...ers/california

Long Beach Seaport (LNB)
Address: 301 E. Ocean Blvd
Room 805
Long Beach, CA 90802
(Located on corner of Long Beach Blvd., entrance to the building is on Long Beach Blvd.)
Hours of Operation: 10:00AM - 6:00PM, Monday - Friday
Contact Information: (562) 366-3267

I don't have the patience to either check regularly or try walk-up.

I booked a Friday 6pm slot in JFK for end of September and will just take a weekend in NYC.

8/9/17 am update
BNA = 10 Nov - another 2-month leap forward. Lurking works. I'm not willing to burn points to fly to another airport to get my KTN before heading out to Berlin.

8/4/17 noon update:
BNA = 19 Jan 2017 - that's two months in two days, and the avails have always shown up around noon-ish (when the center opens). Makes me wonder if the person there is checking some sort of inbox and updating. But I would think that the online scheduling borg handled it automatically. In any case, I'm revising my lurk plan to focus more around the 11am - 1pm hours.

8/3/17 noon update:
BNA = 15 Feb 2017 What's weird is that the calendar appears to only show the Center open 4 hours/day (noon - 4p).


BNA = March 23, 2017
Went out to Interview Center to try walk-in about 45 mins after open. Office was at end of hall, no lights on in hall. Waiting room was locked. Waited in hall for about 20 mins, not a peep. No one in, no one out.

Back to lurking the scheduling calendar.

8/10 Update
 

8/10 pm update

BNA = 27 September. Another 2 months forward. Might be able to pull this off in time for my Berlin trip in three weeks.

8/9/17 am update
BNA = 10 Nov - another 2-month leap forward. Lurking works. I'm not willing to burn points to fly to another airport to get my KTN before heading out to Berlin.

8/4/17 noon update:
BNA = 19 Jan 2017 - that's two months in two days, and the avails have always shown up around noon-ish (when the center opens). Makes me wonder if the person there is checking some sort of inbox and updating. But I would think that the online scheduling borg handled it automatically. In any case, I'm revising my lurk plan to focus more around the 11am - 1pm hours.

8/3/17 noon update:
BNA = 15 Feb 2017 What's weird is that the calendar appears to only show the Center open 4 hours/day (noon - 4p).


BNA = March 23, 2017
Went out to Interview Center to try walk-in about 45 mins after open. Office was at end of hall, no lights on in hall. Waiting room was locked. Waited in hall for about 20 mins, not a peep. No one in, no one out.

Back to lurking the scheduling calendar.

8/11 update

BNA = 12 Aug:)

1KChinito ... trade?

If you don't mind posting back, I'd be interested in your insights on the Nashville office. Did everyone show up around your time? No-shows? Is the interview office actually the broom closet I imagine it is behind that door?

Good luck.

I was joking with you with a smiley. Assuming you do new searches frequently, you shall find a close in slot very soon.

Yup. Searching frequently; every other day I've jumped forward. Nashville's home so obviously, closer will be better.

8/12 pm update

BNA = 14 Sept. Work the lurk, folks.


8/10 pm update

BNA = 27 September. Another 2 months forward. Might be able to pull this off in time for my Berlin trip in three weeks.

8/9/17 am update
BNA = 10 Nov - another 2-month leap forward. Lurking works. I'm not willing to burn points to fly to another airport to get my KTN before heading out to Berlin.

8/4/17 noon update:
BNA = 19 Jan 2017 - that's two months in two days, and the avails have always shown up around noon-ish (when the center opens). Makes me wonder if the person there is checking some sort of inbox and updating. But I would think that the online scheduling borg handled it automatically. In any case, I'm revising my lurk plan to focus more around the 11am - 1pm hours.

8/3/17 noon update:
BNA = 15 Feb 2017 What's weird is that the calendar appears to only show the Center open 4 hours/day (noon - 4p).


BNA = March 23, 2017
Went out to Interview Center to try walk-in about 45 mins after open. Office was at end of hall, no lights on in hall. Waiting room was locked. Waited in hall for about 20 mins, not a peep. No one in, no one out.

Back to lurking the scheduling calendar.

Argh-- Anyone else get an email about weekend availability for interviews? If so, what did it say? It was in my spam folder, and I realized it wasn't spam approx 100 milliseconds after I hit 'delete.'
That said, I have noticed more times becoming available at the Texas airports.

Not weekends, but extended hours?
 

I just popped forward a month from September 14 to August 17 (This Wednesday) at Nashville; noticed that the office had added another hour's worth of interview slots.

8/15/16

BNA = 16 August 2016. So what we learned is checking back in 4 times a day may ultimately help you jump forward pretty significantly. Though I'll bet a dollar to a donut that the minutes I spent lurking far outstrip the time I'll save in bypassing customs and TSAPre lines. But then again, it's not really about that, is it> ;)

Found some info out during my appt. today in BNA. A new office is opening in Memphis in the next few weeks if it already isn't open already. That should help offload some backlog in the southeast. Also, the officer said the BNA office only does appointments only three days a week. 32 appointments day.

legwandfly - three days a week, 12p to 4p!

It must have been pure dumb luck and persistence I was able to go from Application Submitted to Approval Notification in 17 days. My officer said cancellations were pretty frequent, and that often times, she would receive calls to cancel, which she had to hand-process (versus the schedulee popping over the the GOES site and cancelling themselves.) Those cancels would show up as openings within 24 hours, versus almost instantaneously when handled by the site.

All of which is to say for anyone checking this thread, keep hitting the schedule site back once you've got one on the books because slots open at your preferred location all the time.

I have been following this thread as I recently applied for GE. Here was my experience
Online Application: July 20
Online Approval: July 28
First Appt, JFK October 10
Found Open Appt last week for August 16 at Newark by logging in every few days.
Approved at Newark.
Interview began on time, standard questions re arrests, date of birth, name, places I have travelled, etc...


Overall a very good experience.