At TPG, we love global entry and VIP lane access to the customs that comes with it, but scheduling an appointment for final approval is not always easy. We are here to help you.
Global entry has enabled specific low-risk travelers to speed up customs clearance when they arrive in the United States from abroad. This is one of five expedited security plans provided by the U.S. government.
Like other trusted traveler programs, global entries require new users to submit online applications and then conduct in-person interviews.
Those face-to-face interviews are difficult places. Appointments aren’t always easy, but there are more appointments now than in the past.
Applicants with conditional approval, including those who have renewed global entry upon expiry, may be eligible to skip the interview section of the process. But it seems like a draw luck for someone who is asked to interview again in the renewal and who doesn’t.
If you have to schedule an interview as part of a global introductory application, here are our five tips.
Search for global entry dates by date
Once the application is approved, conditional or otherwise, U.S. Customs and Border Protection measures will be notified by email. At this point, you should try to schedule an appointment through an online scheduling tool.
You can filter out appointment availability, specific dates or locations as soon as possible.
Some areas or locations are highly available, while others may have few attractions. This is the 2025 calendar for Denver International Airport (DEN). As you can see, there are no dates in August, but September looks better.
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According to a test search for this story, on the same day, in the city centers of Arizona, New York and Texas, you can get the first available date the same day.
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Department of Homeland Security
Search for global entry appointments for cities
Dating availability varies when we search in major cities. While Los Angeles and New York offer dates for the day, most other cities didn’t open anytime soon.
Several locations were booked throughout the summer. In Montana, two of the three locations have no availability, while the only availability of an open location in Sweetgrass, Montana begins on July 24.
Overall service is much better than it has been in the years, with wide availability of busy locations such as Miami International Airport (MIA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Nashville International Airport (BNA).
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Department of Homeland Security
If you have flexibility, consider heading to a nearby admissions center so that you can focus on the fastest available appointments rather than focusing on a specific location.
But before you give up finding a date this way, be careful that the online scheduling portal is super dynamic and changes to a minute, and dates can sometimes be faster than Taylor Swift’s concert tickets.
With this in mind, I recommend that you check the online tool frequently to get the last minute opening due to cancellation.
Check out dates 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 Measures released interview appointment slots for conditional approval applicants to arrange admission centers.
These appointments are accessible via the applicant’s trusted traveler planning dashboard.
Use an appointment scanner to find an interview
If the traditional scheduling routes don’t get the required global inbound interview appointments, consider trying alternative services such as booking a scanner.
For just $29, users can get a one-month date alert based on last-minute cancellations and new appointments at more than 20 admission centers (up to 25 per day).
If you can’t schedule an appointment in the first month, you can purchase alerts for the second month. Otherwise, your account will automatically expire in one month.
Although “you cannot guarantee that you can schedule an interview, it will refund any unsatisfied clients within 30 days.
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Dating Scanner
Registration should be less than 10 minutes. Expect to enter your email, text (optional) phone number and up to three required global entrance locations.
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Dating Scanner
“When we find an appointment that suits your requirements, you will receive a text or email (or both – your choice),” each appointment scanner. “This alert has a link to the Global Entry Scheduler website where you can log in and ask for an appointment.”
TPG chief cruise writer Gene Sloan used an appointment scanner in 2023. He received an alert 39 minutes after registering for the service 39 minutes after making an appointment at his preferred location later that day.
It also reminds users of remote interview appointments for eligible global entry renewal applicants. It states: “To remind remote appointments: When selecting your registry when registering, search for ‘Remote’ and select the ‘Remote/Zoom’ option.”
This service is also a favorite of TPG founder Brian Kelly.
“I was obsessed with a date scanner,” Brian said. “In an hour, I had multiple text alerts for the coveted bowling green admission center in New York.”
Please note that date scanners will not book an interview for you, nor will they sell dates. It simply informs you of the availability of interview appointments.
Complete the interview by admission
When you need a global inbound interview appointment, the third option is to register on arrival, which allows travelers to interview when they reenter the U.S. from abroad when passing customs.
This service is currently available at over 60 airports around the world, so be sure to verify your required airport participation and will be open during your arrival.
Additionally, you will need a U.S. passport (presumably when you return to the U.S. from abroad, you may already have it). Additionally, verify that any other proof of residence documents, such as mortgage statements and rent stubs, are required to complete the interview. A complete list of supported files is available on the CBP website.
Although former TPG staffer Caroline Tanner plans to go the route when she returns home from Singapore, the CBP official she talked to told her that the office did not conduct an arrival interview due to a brief number of people that day, so it is not guaranteed to be a guaranteed option.
However, when this happens, this is not easy as it allows travelers to skip the extra steps.
Get global entry for free
As a reminder, the five-year application fee for global admission is $120. The fee also covers TSA Precheck, which allows low-risk travelers to speed up their own paths in airport security without removing their belts or removing their laptop from the bag or allowing liquid.
Some cards that convey reimbursement of TSA Precheck and/or global admission membership are:
Bottom line
It is not easy to complete the global entry application process because there are challenges to interview dating in certain places.
Still, the temporary headaches and leg work required to find a date is not nothing compared to the benefits of five years of global entry, especially for frequent international travelers.
This is the game changer for international (and domestic) travel.
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