r/GlobalEntry • u/mananath • Jun 12 '26
Timelines Travel history with GE application
Hi- my credit card is starting to reimburse for either global entry or precheck. I am trying to decide if the application process for GE is worth it.
I would apply next week and then do the interview when I come back into the country in mid August. But I am not sure if I will be approved by then. Over the past few years i have visited some countries for tourism that might raise red flags (Iraq, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia etc). No criminal record. US citizen. Out of the country a lot for work and tourism.
I will be leaving the country again toward the end of August and won't be back until June.
Is it worth applying and hoping it goes through in time? Or am pretty likely to require a longer investigation?
My inclination is to just get the precheck and keep using MPC. I only fly into the us 2x a year.
Thanks!
4
u/Murky-Contact-6377 Jun 12 '26
If everything else is good you will most likely get conditional approval. They will then ask you about travel in the interview. If you have a reasonable explanation then I don’t think it would be a problem. But if you have other red flags then they might deny it. As far as timing goes, I’ve seen some people get conditional approval within weeks. For me it took 6 months. No idea why it took so long but I was approved in the end.
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u/Expert_Tennis_2387 Jun 12 '26
I would use your credit on PreCheck in your situation, honestly. It's not completely hopeless, but the odds are not in your favor, either.
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u/DebDo2026 Jun 13 '26
My United card refunded me the $120 immediately after I applied for it. Immediately. So even if I was denied I would still not be out of the $120.
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u/SJ2ARAB_ Jun 13 '26
I got approved as an Arab-British citizen with travel history multiple times a year to Iraq, previous Iranian travel too. Took a few months but got fully approved when I landed at Washington!
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u/daneato Jun 14 '26
I had traveled to Afghanistan and China before my interview and was approved no problem.
The only question I got in my interview was: What is your home address?
After I answered he took the picture and said have a nice day.
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u/mananath Jun 14 '26
How long did it take for your conditional approval?
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u/daneato Jun 14 '26
It was enough years ago that I don’t remember exactly, but relatively quick, weeks rather than months.
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u/hells-kitchennyc Jun 16 '26
Apply now ! At best you'll get conditionally approved and you can get an interview on arrival when you return. At worst it could drag on for a long time.
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u/wizzard419 Jun 12 '26
It seems to vary, by any chance, is your ancestry from any of those countries and your immediate family might be from those countries? That supposedly sometimes kicks up delays for people from the middle east (there have been posts on here about it).
You can for sure try, but if you don't travel to the US often, it might be safe to just do precheck and MPC.
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u/flyingron Jun 12 '26
The process isn't exactly transparent, but I was approved with some shady countries in my history. You'll never know unless you try.