In my family, three adults applied for Global Entry in 2024 and two minors applied in 2025. For the adults, conditional approval came in one day, two days, and five months. The two minors received conditional approval after seven months and three months.
Adult One got his application conditionally approved the next day. I think it is possible the US government finds him less suspicious because he has a security clearance. He did his interview on the way into the US and his card arrived in the mail not long after.
Adult Two got his application conditionally approved in two days. He did his interview on the way into the US and his card arrived in the mail not long after.
I, Adult Three, was finally “Conditionally Approved” after 5 months (late August of 2024 Application, late January of 2025 Conditional Approval). I had 365 days to do the interview. In the meantime, I learned that children can get Global Entry for free, so I started on that.
Small Sophie applied in February, 2025, and received conditional approval in late September, 2025, so roughly 7 months later.
Small Sophie and I visited the Newark airport (EWR) for our interview. We visited the government’s Global Entry website and signed up for the same time slot on the same day at the same location. We did have to log into each account and individually sign up for the interview slot; you cannot do it all on one account even if it is a minor whose application is tied to the adult’s.
The government website tells us what to bring to the interview:
- Copy of the conditional approval letter OR copy of your interview confirmation and your PASSID number
- Valid Passport
- Permanent resident card (if applicable)
- Evidence of residency, such as a driver’s license with current address or a utility bill. (But this is not required for minors. They use their attached adult’s evidence of residency.)
- Court disposition papers for any prior arrests or convictions (if applicable, obviously)
At the appointment, the officer just looked at our passports and my driver’s license. He did not ask to view any other documents.
The next day, I received a message letting me know that I was approved! The expiration date is my birthday in ~5 years, and I am allowed to start trying to renew starting from one year before that.
Funnily, despite interviewing at the same time, Small Sophie did not receive her full approval for another 2 months. Her emails simply reminded us of interview locations and then, suddenly, there was an application status change email followed by her Global Entry card, arriving in the mail!
Boy Sophie applied in August, 2025, and received conditional approval in late November, 2025. I have not yet decided if I will take the trouble of bringing him to an airport interview or just wait until he comes back from an international flight to the US.
