www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I'm wondering if I just set a record for GE acceptance, based upon the other posts about it and what I hear in the streets.

I applied online Wednesday night, and received the 'Conditional Acceptance' email on Friday afternoon. I booked my appointment for Saturday morning at 9:45am, and I was accepted and out the door by 10:15am.

That is a total time from application to full acceptance of 64 hours! 2 and a half days to get approved. Fukin fantastic!

Newbies, you need to look into the Global Entry program. Tons of vets have posted the same statement, and I am saying that it can be quick and easy to do.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Agree 100%
Your time factor was excellent - took me a little longer - maybe they are more efficient vs a few years ago.

I cannot agree more with what you wrote - its one off the few government programs (well, Sunpass in FL maybe) that totally exceeds expectations.

Even if you travel one or two times a year, Trusted Global is worth it.

The immigration lines are unlikely to get shorter - while you go to the front, swipe your passport atan automated kisok, and continue on - you can laugh your balls off at the fuckers still waiting in line <kidding, kidding....sorta ) - GREAT PROGRAM


One thing that does need mentioning, that you left out of your post, is that not everyone is going to be approved - in fact, in S FL (home to a ton of deadbeats and idiots, admittedly) less than 40% are approved. In more "normal" parts of the country I'd assume the percentage is significantly higher

There are other rules, and if you go on line you can find out more but basically if you were:

Convicted of a felony - EVER
Convicted of a misdemeanor in the past 10 years
Have serious traffic issues - like convictions for reckless driving

FORGET IT - SAVE YOUR<NON REFUNDABLE> $100 FEE AND DON'T APPLY . You will not be approved - its nice to see a government program that ignores political correctness for a change.

ok, just received the Approval letter, and this statement was in the middle of it:

"If you enrolled in Global Entry, you may begin using the kiosk immediately. Global Entry cards are only issued to Global Entry members who are U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents or Mexican Nationals (who are not current SENTRI members). Global Entry cards are not valid at the Global Entry kiosks.".

What the heck does that last statement mean? They say I can begin using the kiosk immediately, yet the kiosks don't work with the card?????

Oh well, I guess my next trip through immigration will be an adventure.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

The Card is only for boarder crossing , I.E. Mexico , Canada , it is not required for use at airports , the machine use your passport NOT a card. Very easy and what a time saver!!!!


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+1 on both GE and SunPass, GE also gets you a "known traveler number" and a better chance of TSA PreCheck privileges. Also if you have SunPass Plus (auto recharge) you can use the SunPass lanes at airport parking.

BTW, not a CR virgin anymore, still a newbie though

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If the women don't find you handsome, at least let them find you handy - Red Green

+1

GE has been a huge timesaver for me since I got in 2010. I remember the good old days when I was typically the only arriving passenger to use the kiosks. My best MIA time ever from plane through INS to terminal exit was less than 10 minutes... those were the days.

Unfortunately the cat's out of the bag. A ton of people have signed up for GE in the last year or so. Nowadays there is a LINE to get out of INS at MIA. It's a dedicated GE line and it's usually pretty fast, but still....

mh

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mh

But still its 1000 times better than not having it, waiting in lines that intuition tells me are only going to get longer and slower

Used Global Entry on my recent return trip through IAH, quick and easy. Maybe 3 people in front of me, took all of 5 minutes total. Another benefit is that you are automatically TSA pre-check.

You better be squeaky clean . In 1989 I had a misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia charge and was denied my GE .

Boy, do I wish it was so - b/c I travel domestically more so than internationally.

Maybe that's the way its supposed to work - but for me - seldom does - I have been able to skip some of the TSA nonsense on occasion - but not always - and yes, its out of MIA and FLL, both airports that you should be able to do so.

If anyone know what I need to do to make TSA Precheck happen - I'm all ears



You better be squeaky clean . In 1989 I had a misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia charge and was denied my GE .

Well, Nikon, that's why I posted as I did a few back - you are correct - it has a fairly high burden of entry.

HOWEVER - you might not be out of luck - and IMO - its worth a shot.

The "rules" say zero felonies <ever> and no misdemeanors in the past 10 years - if this describes your situation, you can request a hearing - with a supervisor to review your case.

Now.....was the charge greater, and you pled it down? If so are they really that sophisticated? I don't know - but if this is something you want , and what you pled to, what you actually did - and should be able to prove it - may be worth another shot.

OTOH, these are "guidelines" - but if you've otherwise been a solid citizen for the past 25 years, give it another try.

Good Luck

according to the Agent at the interview, you *MUST* enter your GE number into the appropriate web form field when booking your flight, and there are 2 or three ... only one works for GE. Of course I have forgotten the name of the field that he told me to use.

It might be worth it to make a call to your Congressional Rep for assistance. Especially now with the 2year coming up. I guarantee they will be responsive.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

If you are GE you're automatically part of the TSA Pre program. You have to flash your GE card for domestic flights OR show your boarding pass which, if you entered your GE number when you booked your ticket, should have TSA PRE printed on it.

mh

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mh

sorry to be so dense, but I don't recall getting a card - where would I find my GE number - thax

log into the site. The number is on all emails and reference documents. It's the same as your account number, or service number, or whatever.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

it only gets you to the front of the line, right? You can't skip the 'shoes off! belts off!' stage, can you?

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!