I applied online and paid my Global Entry fee back in August. Fast forward a few weeks, I was…read moreemailed and informed that I had to make an appointment for an in-person interview. The earliest appointment I could get was in October at the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry building. They have appointments available at LAX but 4 months out. There are other offices that conduct interviews around the country as well but appointments are recommended and walk-ins are not guaranteed to be seen.
My appointment was at 9:15 am and the letter told me to get there 30 minutes early in case they were running on time. They weren't, and since the office is small, I had to wait outside with the border officers until my appointment time. When it was 9:15 am, I walked into the Global Sentri office. There are 10-12 seats in the lobby and it is very small. I stood in line until it was my turn to be seen. The gentleman who helped me asked a few questions, asked for my passport and driver's license, and told me to wait in the lobby until my name was called. About 30 minutes after that initial interaction, I was called into the back for my interview. The setup is very much like the DMV, where the office is open with cubicles everywhere. I was asked a few more questions, fingerprints were scanned, and my identification documents were returned. I was told that my old KTN was still usable and that my new one would be my Global Entry one, and the 5 years would start after my next birthday in August. Either could be used interchangeably. I thought that was weird that they didn't combine them but it doesn't matter really since I'll have expedited processing when I travel internationally. Just plan for about an hour at the interview since there is a chance that they are running late. Someone showed up an hour before her interview but they didn't see her until her interview time. This is not the office for walk-ins.
Be prepared to put your bag in to be checked in the luggage x-ray machine. I was in and out of that office twice because my friend came with me, but they only asked me to x-ray my purse once. I parked at the outlet shopping center across the street for free and walked over. If you need to kill some time there's a Coffee Bean nearby as well as a mall.