bowhi

Since this thread is WAY off topic, I thought I would bring it back to the intention with a comment on "whether or not GE is worth it".

I just got back from Frankfurt arriving at ORD. I was able to get from BIS on my landing flight at 10:20am to BIS on a standby flight at 11:03am at gate B22! For those that know ORD, that is a long haul.

Granted, I am GS and got to use TSA Pre as well, but I phoned a colleague that was on the same flight and while I was sitting on my standby, they were still in the customs line some 45 minutes later! It all depends on the timing, but when you land just after 2 other long-hauls, it makes a world of difference! Great stuff...and for those that have PRE, it is even better!

blakepilot

Slightly outside of GE, but I completed my Smart Entry enrollment at ICN, thanks to the reciprocal agreement with GE/Korean immigration. I applied about 3 weeks before I got approval, and just happened to get lucky and be approved while I was in Korea. It would have been an easy, 5-minute process if I had US dollars on me. The fee is $100USD for foreigners without a Korean bank account. So if you're seeking Smart Entry and don't have a Korean bank account to deposit the change into, bring $100USD with you or you'll have to exchange currency for a $100 bill at the exchange right outside the Smart Entry office, at bad rates nonetheless.

Also, in the approval letter you'll receive from Korean immigration, it gives you a list of places you can go to complete enrollment. Well, as a foreigner in Korea, the only places you can really complete enrollment are GMP or ICN. I first tried to complete my enrollment at the KOTRA center, which was near where I was in Gangnam, but was quickly told that foreigners could only complete enrollment at the airports. A nice waste of 20,000KRW in cab fares.

So as long as you have your passport, printed approval letter, $100USD in cash, and complete your enrollment at GMP or ICN, the completion process should take less than 5 minutes in all. It was just a simple photograph, digital index fingerprints, and deposit $100USD into a machine that resembles an ATM machine. I was able to use the benefits directly after completing enrollment to bypass significant waits at exit immigration. I was through in 20 seconds, where it took my colleague 30 minutes to clear immigration at the same time. Very efficient.

drewguy

Good report-thanks. Curious that they require only US$. I could see taking either, but only US? Odd.

blakepilot

Well I was a bit lost in translation with the immigration clerk, but to my knowledge, any US citizen applying for SES through GOES must pay $100USD, and depositing KRW into the machine would cause change to be made after the currency exchange. The only way that's possible is if you have a Korean bank account, upon which the difference would be deposited into that account. I don't know...I was confused by the whole process, too, but it's just easier to bring a crisp $100 bill with you to the interview. Then again, I was there on Sunday night and it could have been the B team working. I tried just about every way on the machine to let me use KRW or debit, but the only way possible was with USD. YMMV

GlobalServiced

Data Point: Had my GE interview at DEN on 7/25, after conditional approval early June. Whole process took no more than 15 minutes. Excited to use it through the coming months.

14940674

When did the GE kiosks start printing the photograph on the slips?

SEA1K4EVR

Did you get a slip with a photo on it? I used GE at the end of May and there was no photo...seems like a good idea for security.

FriendlySkies

+1

No photo on my GE slip at the end of June.

German Expat

Got the photo on July 24th at ORD after a long flight from HKG. Was surprised to see it and it is done with the built in camera at the kiosk. Next time I guess I should shave before landing and look a little less grouchy.

DCBob

My photo (taken at the GE kiosk) was printed on the form I received from the kiosk at SFO on July 24. 2012.

14940674

I received a slip with photo at JFK on 7/20. While it may be beneficial to security, the addition of the photograph doubles the height of the slip, making it unwieldy.

DCBob

Unwieldly? Really?? I don't think so. It's not any bigger than the old blue Customs form you filled out before joining GE. Plus you are carrying it only a couple hundred feet and then having it taken from you by Customs. Not a big deal.

14940674

Compared to the old slip, which was about the same size as a passport, the new slip is unwieldy. I do agree; however, that it is not a significant inconvenience.

GadgetFreak

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B206 Safari/7534.48.3)

None on mine at JFK two weeks ago. It must be very recent.

GlobalServiced

TSA agent at DEN said the slip with a photo will become a standard as they replace kiosks.