You guessed it. This is Part 1.
If you have no idea what TSA Precheck or Global Entry card is, read it here.
There is some more info here.
Summary: Easy to apply and quick to get conditional approval. Bottleneck is getting the interview. In interview, they seems to ask 2 questions other than checking the ID and documents you submitted.
The easy part:
When I applied, I answered these questions other than name address, phone number email address.
1. US. Naturalization number and date.
2. US Passport number, place and date of issue, Place of birth, height, weight, color of eyes, foreign countries visited in the last 10yrs.
3. Driving license number.
4. Addresses for the past 10yrs including employment history.
Paid $100 for 5yr Global Entry card.
I applied on Feb 5, 2016. Got conditional approval on Feb 11.
Applied for my wife on Feb 7 Sun. Got conditional approval on Sat Feb 13.
The interview attempt:
The next available date for interview was 5 months later on July 14th.
Read yelp reviews and came to know that they do not have official walk-in system like in DMV office. However, some people just walked in and were called about 1 hour later and got approval email within 5 minutes and the card arrived in 4 working days.
So, we decided to go today the Presidents day to San Francisco airport. We were told at 10:30 that 6 people were waiting since 8am without appointment.
There was no reception desk. No instructions on what to do. You enter the office and face hostile people behind the counters looking at you as if you are an intruder even if you have an appointment.
There were 4 people in the office. They allowed 15min per appointment. People were coming out after they show the ID documents, asked if they had ever been convicted, giving finger prints and a photo taken. At 12:30, the lady waiting since 8am asked them if they might take her in. She was told that after lunch at 1PM they have appointments and if there is no show only then they will take walk-in. Apparently they have "something else to do" after the 5 min interview which could have been avoided by asking people to go to a local police station. They will take walk-in ONLY if there is a cancellation.
This is a gross waste of tax payers money. We are paying them to sit and do "something else" in the Global Entry office rather than take some one waiting because of lack of appointments.
We left at 1:30 after waiting for 3hrs and spending 1hr driving, $50 in gas, parking, food and tolls.
We scheduled appointment for Jul 16th Sat, 5 months from now. By then we will finish some travel.
So, you know why there will be a Part 2.
If you have no idea what TSA Precheck or Global Entry card is, read it here.
There is some more info here.
Summary: Easy to apply and quick to get conditional approval. Bottleneck is getting the interview. In interview, they seems to ask 2 questions other than checking the ID and documents you submitted.
The easy part:
When I applied, I answered these questions other than name address, phone number email address.
1. US. Naturalization number and date.
2. US Passport number, place and date of issue, Place of birth, height, weight, color of eyes, foreign countries visited in the last 10yrs.
3. Driving license number.
4. Addresses for the past 10yrs including employment history.
Paid $100 for 5yr Global Entry card.
I applied on Feb 5, 2016. Got conditional approval on Feb 11.
Applied for my wife on Feb 7 Sun. Got conditional approval on Sat Feb 13.
The interview attempt:
The next available date for interview was 5 months later on July 14th.
Read yelp reviews and came to know that they do not have official walk-in system like in DMV office. However, some people just walked in and were called about 1 hour later and got approval email within 5 minutes and the card arrived in 4 working days.
So, we decided to go today the Presidents day to San Francisco airport. We were told at 10:30 that 6 people were waiting since 8am without appointment.
There was no reception desk. No instructions on what to do. You enter the office and face hostile people behind the counters looking at you as if you are an intruder even if you have an appointment.
There were 4 people in the office. They allowed 15min per appointment. People were coming out after they show the ID documents, asked if they had ever been convicted, giving finger prints and a photo taken. At 12:30, the lady waiting since 8am asked them if they might take her in. She was told that after lunch at 1PM they have appointments and if there is no show only then they will take walk-in. Apparently they have "something else to do" after the 5 min interview which could have been avoided by asking people to go to a local police station. They will take walk-in ONLY if there is a cancellation.
This is a gross waste of tax payers money. We are paying them to sit and do "something else" in the Global Entry office rather than take some one waiting because of lack of appointments.
We left at 1:30 after waiting for 3hrs and spending 1hr driving, $50 in gas, parking, food and tolls.
We scheduled appointment for Jul 16th Sat, 5 months from now. By then we will finish some travel.
So, you know why there will be a Part 2.
