Updated
The interview is the last step before Global Entry is yours, and the booking itself takes a couple of minutes. Finding an open slot is the hard part. This guide covers both: the scheduling steps, then what to do when the calendar is empty.
You can't book an interview until CBP has conditionally approved your application. Until then there is nothing to schedule, however many centers you check. Conditional approval arrives as an email and a status change on your Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) dashboard. If your application has been sitting in pending review for a long time, our application guide covers what that status means and when to chase it.
Conditional approval does not stay open forever. If the interview isn't completed within the time CBP allows, the application is closed and you start again, fee included. So book something once you're approved, even if the first slot you find is months away.
Go to ttp.cbp.dhs.gov and log in with the Login.gov account you applied with. All scheduling happens here.
Once you're conditionally approved, the dashboard shows a scheduling option against your application. If it isn't there, your application hasn't reached that stage yet.
You can interview at any enrollment center, not only one in your home state. Our list of every enrollment center shows the soonest opening at each, and its Near me button sorts them by distance from you.
The center's calendar shows only what is open right now. Pick a slot, confirm it, and the appointment appears on your dashboard with a confirmation email. If the calendar is empty, see the next section.
An empty calendar is normal, and it doesn't mean the center is closed. Most centers release appointments in batches, often weeks or months ahead, and those are booked within hours. Between batches, slots reappear one at a time as other applicants cancel or reschedule. Those one-off openings are real and frequent, but they are usually gone within minutes. Our analysis of batch releases vs. one-off openings shows how the two patterns differ from center to center.
That leaves four ways forward, and you can use them together:
Rescheduling replaces your existing appointment, so booking a far-off date costs nothing. It secures your place, and you can switch when something sooner appears.
Wait times vary enormously, even between centers a short drive apart. Our wait times by enrollment center page ranks them daily, and each center's page shows when it tends to release appointments.
CBP runs temporary enrollment events at airports, businesses and community venues. They appear in the scheduler as their own location for a few days, often with a large block of appointments. They're easy to miss because they aren't there the rest of the year.
If you're traveling internationally, you may not need a booking at all. See below.
Catching a cancellation is a speed game. Global Entry Spotter watches every enrollment center around the clock and texts you the moment an earlier slot opens at the centers you pick, so you can book it before anyone else does.
The most common reason people miss an opening they saw has nothing to do with speed: they weren't signed in. Logging in to TTP through Login.gov, with its two-factor code, takes longer than a popular slot lasts. By the time you reach the calendar, it's gone.
We go further into timing, including when centers tend to release slots, in the winning strategy for booking a Global Entry appointment.
If you are conditionally approved and flying back to the US from abroad, you can complete the interview when you land at a participating airport, with no appointment. Follow the Enrollment on Arrival signs in the arrivals hall, or ask a CBP officer at passport control, and bring the same documents you would take to an enrollment center.
For anyone with an international trip coming up, this is often the fastest route of all. It's also why many people who "can't find an appointment" end up not needing one. It only works on arrival from an international trip, though, so it doesn't help if you're waiting on Global Entry before your first trip abroad.
Bring your valid passport and a second form of ID, such as a driver's license. Lawful permanent residents also bring their permanent resident card. Your conditional approval notice lists exactly what CBP expects from you, so check it before you go.
The interview itself is short, usually 15 to 20 minutes. An officer confirms the details from your application, asks a few questions about your travel, and takes your fingerprints and photo. Many people are approved on the spot, and the status updates in your TTP account soon after.
Can I schedule interviews for my whole family at once?
Each person needs their own appointment, booked from their own application. Finding several
back-to-back slots at once is much harder than finding one. We cover the trade-offs in
booking
multiple Global Entry appointments.
Do I need an interview to renew?
Often not, but some renewals come back conditionally approved and need one. The steps above
then apply exactly as they do to a first application. See
how to renew Global Entry.
Can I walk in to an enrollment center without an appointment?
Don't count on it. Outside of Enrollment on Arrival, plan on booking a time through TTP.
Why does the scheduler show nothing for months, then suddenly fill up?
That's a batch release: a center opens a block of future dates at once, and it's booked
within hours. Our explainer
on why appointments are so hard to get goes into the reasons.
We watch every enrollment center 24/7 and text you the instant an earlier interview slot opens near you. Most users get one in days rather than months.
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