How to Get a Same-Day Walk-In Appointment at These Global Entry Enrollment Centers

INSIDER SECRET: Many credit cards will reimburse your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee, including several that have the annual fee waived for the first year like the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card and the United℠ Explorer Card.

No one likes waiting in airport security lines. Many folks are looking for ways to get through security faster, like with Global Entry, which gets you into the faster TSA PreCheck lines at US airports.

However, you may have to wait months before you can get at interview at the nearest Global Entry center because many staff members have been sent to the US southern border. It may be hard to get an interview, but some enrollment centers accept walk-ins when you are arriving from an international flight.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to get a walk-in interview, where to get it and how to get your Global Entry fee reimbursed.

How to Qualify for a Walk-In Global Entry Interview

Link: How to fill out a Global Entry application

First you must apply for Global Entry and receive conditional approval before scheduling an interview. Before you apply, check if you have a top credit card for Global Entry reimbursement or apply for one of the cards listed below.

With many US Customs and Border Protection agents assigned to the southern border, many locations are scheduling Global Entry interviews months in advance and some don’t even have a single available interview time on the current schedule.

If you can’t secure an interview at a Global Entry Enrollment Center nearest to your home, you can try to schedule an interview at a center farther away or you might be able to get an interview on arrival from an international flight at select locations listed in the story below.

Here is how you qualify for an interview on arrival:

  • You must already have received conditional approval
  • You must be returning from an international trip
  • You’ll need to bring your passport, documents providing evidence of residency: a driver’s license with your current address, mortgage statement, rental payment statement, utility bill and a permanent resident card (if applicable)

When you arrive, follow signs directing you to the Customs and Border Protection officers for your Global Entry interview.

How to Get Your Global Entry Fee Reimbursed

When you apply for or renew Global Entry you pay a $100 fee, but you can be reimbursed if you pay with certain credit cards, like these:

All of these cards have annual fees, but cards like the United Airlines Explorer and Capital One Venture card have the annual fees waived for the first year. So you can get Global Entry for free if you pay your fee with either card.

The other cards have perks that easily make it worth paying the annual fee because they have benefits above and beyond a Global Entry fee credit. If you want airport lounge access, free checked bags or just a big introductory bonus, you can get those perks (with many of these cards) on top of your Global Entry fee reimbursement.

One great card to consider right now is the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card because it has an all-time-high welcome offer of 125,000 IHG points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of account opening. The card also comes with a free-night certificate every year you renew the card (valid at participating IHG hotels costing up to 40,000 points) and automatic Platinum IHG status as long as you have the card. For all the details read our full IHG credit card review.

Global Entry Enrollment Centers That Accept Walk-Ins

These Global Entry Enrollment Centers accept walk-ins. However, you might have to wait — sometimes only minutes and other times hours — and there is no guarantee you will be seen.

Alaska

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)

  • On arrival from an international flight

Arizona

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

  • 11am – 2pm

California

John Wayne Airport (SNA)

  • 12pm – 8pm

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

  • 6am – 9pm (Tom Bradley Terminal)
  • 9am – 5pm (Terminal 2)
  • 10am – 6pm (Terminal 4)
  • 11am – 7pm (Terminal 7)

Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)

  • 8:30am – 8pm

Oakland International Airport (OAK)

  • 12pm – 8pm

Sacramento International Airport (SMF)

  • 6pm – 2am

San Diego International Airport (SAN)

  • 6am – 10pm

San Francisco International Airport

  • 6am – 10pm (Terminal G)
  • 9am – 1am (Terminal A)

Colorado

Denver International Airport (DIA)

  • Monday – Friday 10am – 8pm

Florida

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

  • 6am – 12am (Airside One)
  • 6am – 12am (Airside Two)

Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB)

  • 9am – 9pm

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

  • 9am – 10pm

Miami International Airport

  • 4am – 11pm (North Terminal, Concourse D)
  • Open 24 hours (South Terminal, Concourse J)

West Palm Beach, Florida, Enrollment Center

  • Only accepted between 3pm to 4pm daily

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

  • 10am – 8pm (Terminal One)
  • 5am – 12am (Terminal Four)

Georgia

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

  • 1pm – 9pm (E Concourse)
  • 5am – 9pm (F Concourse)

Hawaii

Honolulu International Airport (HNL)

  • 8am – 4pm

Illinois

 Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)

  • On arrival from international flights

 Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

  • 8:15am – 3:30pm, Monday – Friday

Kentucky

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) 

  • 1pm – 3pm (daily)
  • 11pm – 1am (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)

Louisiana

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

  • On arrival from an international flight

Maryland

Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)

  • 2pm – 11pm

Michigan

Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)

  • 9:30am – 7:30pm (McNamara Terminal)
  • 10am – 5pm (North Terminal)

Minnesota

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)

  • On arrival from an international flight (Terminal 1)
  • On arrival from an international flight (Terminal 2)

Missouri

Kansas City International Airport (MCI)

  • 2pm – 10pm

St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)

  • 12pm – 10pm

New Jersey

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

  • 5am – 10pm (Terminal B)
  • 12pm – 8pm (Terminal C)

New York

John F. Kennedy International Airport

  • 5am – 12am (Terminal 5)
  • 6am – 12am (Terminal 7)
  • 6am – 11pm (Terminal 8)

Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)

  • Seasonal international flight arrivals with varying times

Nevada

McCarran International Airport (LAS)

  • 10am – 7pm

North Carolina

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

  • 1pm – 9pm

Ohio

John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)

  • On arrival from international flights

Oregon

Portland International Airport (PDX)

  • 9am – 9pm

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

  • 12pm – 8pm

Texas

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)

  • On arrival from international flights

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

  • 5am – 8pm

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

  • 5am – 12am

San Antonio International Airport (SAT)

  • 7am – 9pm

William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)

  • 7am – 9pm

Utah

Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

  • 12:30pm – 8:30pm

Virginia

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

  • 9am – 11pm

Washington

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

  • 6am – 10pm

Bahamas

Grand Bahamas International Airport

  • During processing of international flight arrivals

Bermuda

L.F. Wade International Airport

  • 6:30am – 4pm

Canada

Calgary International Airport (YYC)

  • 4:30am – 8pm

Edmonton International Airport (YEG)

  • 4:30am – 6:30pm

Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YYC)

  • 5am – 5pm

Montréal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport (YUL)

  • 4:30am – 8pm

Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW)

  • 4:30am – 7:30pm

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG)

  • 5am – 6pm

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

  • 6am – 8pm

Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

  • 6am – 6pm

Bottom Line

Many Global Entry Enrollment Centers accept walk-ins upon arrival from an international flight, though some have special conditions. Bring a book, because you might have to wait.

But if you have a Global Entry center nearby, or are traveling through an airport on the way back to the US from an international trip, it’s worth checking for a walk-in appointment if you’d otherwise have to wait months to schedule an interview.

Let us know about your experience obtaining a Global Entry interview as a walk-in.

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Featured image by Jacob_09/Shutterstock.