At TPG, we love Global Entry and the VIP lane access to customs that it comes with, but it’s not always so easy to schedule an appointment to get final approval. We are here to help.
Global Entry gives preapproved, low-risk travelers expedited clearance upon arrival in the U.S. from abroad. It’s one of the five expedited security programs the U.S. government offers.
Like other Trusted Traveler programs, Global Entry requires new users to submit an online application, followed by an in-person interview.
Those in-person interviews are where it gets difficult. It’s not always easy to get an appointment, but more appointments are available now than in years past.
Conditionally approved applicants, including those renewing their Global Entry upon expiration, may be eligible to skip the interview portion of the process. However, it is seemingly the luck of the draw as to who is asked to interview again at renewal and who isn’t.
Here are our five tips if you must schedule an interview as part of your Global Entry application.
Search for a Global Entry appointment by date
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will notify applicants via email once their application has been approved, conditionally or otherwise. At this point, you should attempt to schedule an appointment through the online scheduling tool.
You can filter appointment availability by the soonest available, a specific date or a location.
Some areas or locations have lots of availability, while other locations may have very few spots open. Here’s a look at the 2025 calendar for Denver International Airport (DEN). As you can see, there are no appointments available in August, but September is looking better.
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Based on a test search conducted for this story, the first available appointments were available as soon as the same day at centers in cities in Arizona, New York and Texas.
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US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Search for a Global Entry appointment by city
When we searched by major cities, appointment availability varied. While same-day appointments were available in Los Angeles and New York, the majority of other cities did not have anything open that soon.
Several locations were fully booked throughout the summer. In Montana, two of three locations had no availability, and the only availability for the one open location in Sweetgrass, Montana, started July 24.
Services are much better overall than they have been in years, with widespread availability at busy locations like Miami International Airport (MIA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Nashville International Airport (BNA).
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
If you can be flexible, consider traveling to an enrollment center nearby, so that you can focus on the soonest available appointment rather than fixating on a specific location.
But before you give up on finding an appointment this way, know that the online scheduling portal is super dynamic and changes minute to minute, with appointments sometimes disappearing faster than Taylor Swift concert tickets.
What that in mind, I would recommend checking the online tool frequently, if you can, for last-minute openings due to cancellations.
Check for appointments on the first Monday of the month
On the first Monday of each month at 9 a.m. local time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection releases interview appointment slots for conditionally approved applicants to schedule at enrollment centers.
These appointments are accessible via an applicant’s Trusted Traveler Program dashboard.
Use Appointment Scanner to find an interview
If the traditional scheduling route does not get you the Global Entry interview appointment you need, consider trying an alternate service, such as Appointment Scanner.
For $29, users can receive one month of appointment alerts (up to 25 per day) based on last-minute cancellations and newly released appointments at 20-plus enrollment centers.
If you can’t schedule an appointment during your first month, you can purchase a second month of alerts. Otherwise, your account will automatically expire after one month.
Although it “can’t promise you’ll be able to schedule an interview,” it will refund any unsatisfied customers within 30 days.
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APPOINTMENT SCANNER
It should take less than 10 minutes to sign up. Expect to enter your email, your phone number for texts (optional) and up to three desired Global Entry locations.
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APPOINTMENT SCANNER
“When we find an appointment that fits your requirements, you’ll receive a text message or email (or both — your choice),” per Appointment Scanner. “This alert has a link to the Global Entry scheduler website, where you can log in and claim the appointment.”
TPG Principal Cruise Writer Gene Sloan used Appointment Scanner back in 2023. He received an alert 39 minutes after signing up for the service for an appointment at one of his preferred locations for later that day.
It also alerts users about remote interview appointments for eligible Global Entry renewal applicants. “To be alerted about remote appointments: When choosing your enrollment centers at signup, search ‘remote,’ and select the ‘Remote / Zoom’ option,” it notes.
This service is also a favorite of TPG founder Brian Kelly.
“I’m obsessed with Appointment Scanner,” Brian said. “Within an hour, I had multiple text alerts for the coveted Bowling Green Enrollment Center in New York.”
Note that Appointment Scanner does not book the interview for you, nor does it sell appointments. It simply notifies you of interview appointment availability.
Complete the interview via Enrollment on Arrival
A third option when you need a Global Entry interview appointment is Enrollment on Arrival, which allows travelers to interview upon reentering the U.S. from abroad when passing through customs.
This service is currently available at more than 60 airports globally, so be sure to verify that your desired airport participates and that it will be open during your arrival time.
Additionally, you’ll need your U.S. passport (which you would presumably already have if returning to the U.S. from abroad). Also, verify if any other proof-of-residency documents, such as mortgage statements and rent stubs, are necessary to complete the interview. A full list of support documents is available on the CBP website.
Although former TPG staffer Caroline Tanner planned on going this route when she flew home from Singapore, the CBP officer she spoke to when she arrived told her the office wasn’t doing arrival interviews that day due to being short-staffed, so it isn’t a guaranteed option.
But when this works, it couldn’t be easier, as it allows travelers to skip an extra step.
Get Global Entry for free
As a reminder, the application fee for a five-year membership to Global Entry is $120. This fee also covers TSA PreCheck, which allows low-risk travelers to expedite their way through airport security without taking off their belts or removing laptops or allowable liquids from their bags.
Some cards that convey reimbursed TSA PreCheck and/or Global Entry memberships are:
Bottom line
Completing the Global Entry application process isn’t easy because of the challenge of getting an interview appointment in some locations.
Still, the temporary headache and legwork required to find an appointment are nothing compared to the benefits of five years of Global Entry, especially for frequent international travelers.
It’s a game changer for international (and domestic) travel.
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