Global Entry question

In 2019 at the Houston airport as we were boarding a flight to Europe, a customs agent accosted me in the jetway and demanded I tell her how much cash I had. I truthfully told her "about $800 between dollars and euros" and she let me go. Now, what bothers me so much about this is the potential risk it put me in since other passengers could hear. Let's say I said $9000 and someone heard that. Customs was setting me up to be rolled on arrival as I left the airport. I personally find that unacceptable but there is nothing I can do about it. I completely understand the need to combat money laundering and enforce currency controls. But whatever moron approved the tactic of public interrogation in jetways before international flights needs to be fired for stupidity!
I don't know what the "acceptable" amount of cash is before they decide to seize it just "because they can."
 
I don't know what the "acceptable" amount of cash is before they decide to seize it just "because they can."
It wasn't Louisiana State Police that can make up the rules as they go. It was US Customs and Border Protection enforcing clear US Treasury rules. US Citizens can import or export any amount of cash. But you have to declare anything over $10,000.

I don't have an issue with the rules. I have an issue with their reckless enforcement that put me at risk!
 
It wasn't Louisiana State Police that can make up the rules as they go. It was US Customs and Border Protection enforcing clear US Treasury rules. US Citizens can import or export any amount of cash. But you have to declare anything over $10,000.

I don't have an issue with the rules. I have an issue with their reckless enforcement that put me at risk!
Yeah, I recall the stories of I-10 through Louisiana with the Police pulling people over for "weaving" (between the lines) and confiscating their cash.
 
I thought is was strange in August when I came in through Dulles and there were no longer any Customs agents at all. They used to stand at stations on the way out of international baggage claim. We used the GE app for immigration and I don't believe it had a way to declare anything either. The GE kiosks used to have a check box but that disappeared some years ago too and now they just snap a photo and you are off.

So yea, the customs part of Customs and Border Protection seems to have evaporated.
IAD is my home airport. The immigration officer would occasionally ask if we have anything to declare. There is an agent sitting by the exit doors. I've seen him stopped a passenger heading for the exit and directed him to go the room behind where he sat.
 
That’s right, you have to update your passport info in your online global entry account when you get a new one. Also your new drivers license- update the new dates. Fortunately the KTN doesn’t change.

Wow, I've never done that and GE still works on my newish passport. I'll go take a look if I can figure out how to get into my "global entry account".
 
Wow, I've never done that and GE still works for my on my newish passport. I'll go take a look if I can figure out how to get into my "global entry account".
When you first signed up you created a GEOS account. They’ve switched to login.gov credentials, but migration is straightforward.

You can also call and have them update stuff over the phone if there is any difficulty.
 
When you first signed up you created a GEOS account. They’ve switched to login.gov credentials, but migration is straightforward.

You can also call and have them update stuff over the phone if there is any difficulty.

I found my account. It looks like they update passports automatically (which makes sense), but I did have to update my driver's license.
 
I found my account. It looks like they update passports automatically (which makes sense), but I did have to update my driver's license.
Interesting. I had been told I had to update my passport info myself. But that was many years ago.
 
The online immigration app someone mentioned upthread I think might be US Mobile Passport Control. You can use that even if you don't have Global Entry, which is what I did before we got GE. But I am not sure if they always share a faster-moving line - MPC might sometimes have its own line. I know I filled out the MPC online the first time we came through after getting Global Entry and the agent said there was no need to do that -- it's one or the other, and with GE you don't have to fill out any immigration form to get back into the US.

I haven't had to fill out a US customs form in some time. We travel light and don't bring souvenirs to or from so we're always in the "nothing to declare" line. Some other countries still do the customs form, although many have an online process. We just got back from Roatan, Honduras and they have an online customs declaration that you fill out both on the way into the country (or up to 5 days prior to entry) AND upon departure, too. The agent just scans a QR code on your phone. Other travelers didn't anticipate needing the form and it held up the line a bit because they did not have paper forms available, just the website on the phone.

Side note - there've been a couple of times where I've almost run out of pages with my passport so I've always been very cognizant of the entry requirements for other countries. They often specify how many blank pages you need to enter their country as well as how much time you must have left before your passport expires (usually 6 months at least). On our flight back from Roatan, a flight attendant escorted a young woman to the row behind us and had a chat with her. She had apparently arrived to Roatan on a direct flight from Miami, only to be turned away by Honduran immigration because she only had 2 months validity left on her passport rather than 6 months. She was irate because the airline had looked at her passport twice before boarding in Miami and no one said anything about the expiration date. THEN, not only was she denied entry into Honduras but she was put on the very next plane back to the US -- which was heading to Dallas, not Miami. So it was a good reminder to me to make sure to always check the requirements of our destination country. I often enroll my trips with the State Dept's STEP program, too, as the consulate will have a way to contact you if they need to send out info prior to departing or while you are in the destination country.

The facial recognition in the DFW GE area was so nice -- did not even need to take my passport out, just breezed through almost without stopping!
 
OK... DW and I are 'approved'... just need to stop by for the interview... I have read it is not a big thing so that is good..

BUT, do you get anything? IOW, some card etc. to show you have it? Or do you put it in your profile at the airlines etc?
I am considering getting GE.. but heard it takes a long time. Would you mind letting me know how this goes for you? Also was there a long wait time to schedule the airport interview?
 
I am considering getting GE.. but heard it takes a long time. Would you mind letting me know how this goes for you? Also was there a long wait time to schedule the airport interview?
Timing appears to vary wildly for unknown reasons. I finally received mine in mid-September. It took 11 months to receive my preliminary approval after I submitted it. Then It took me about 45 days to get my interview at my desired airport. I got full approval a couple days later.
 
I am considering getting GE.. but heard it takes a long time. Would you mind letting me know how this goes for you? Also was there a long wait time to schedule the airport interview?
Mine only took a few days... really!!

My DWs took maybe 2 months, but she was born in a different country... still a US citizen...

We have not schedule an interview... we will be coming back from a trip and can do it then...
 
If you haven’t done the initial interview where they also take your photo and fingerprints, I don’t think you yet have GE. You may be conditionally approved, but you aren’t complete.
 
If you haven’t done the initial interview where they also take your photo and fingerprints, I don’t think you yet have GE. You may be conditionally approved, but you aren’t complete.
Right, it seems to be a bit complicated. You can't use Pre-Check at an airport unless you have a Known Traveler Number (KTN). My understanding is that only happens after the interview, but I could be wrong about that. Pre-Check status is assigned by the airline issuing your ticket, and they need the KTN to do that.
 
Right, it seems to be a bit complicated. You can't use Pre-Check at an airport unless you have a Known Traveler Number (KTN). My understanding is that only happens after the interview, but I could be wrong about that. Pre-Check status is assigned by the airline issuing your ticket, and they need the KTN to do that.
I believe they have already assigned you a KTN when conditionally approved, it’s in your conditional approval letter but called something else. You are supposed to take to this letter to the interview. And once you complete the interview and are approved there, then it becomes your KTN - they tell you to use that number in your letter.
 
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If you haven’t done the initial interview where they also take your photo and fingerprints, I don’t think you yet have GE. You may be conditionally approved, but you aren’t complete.
True... it is not complete until the interview... I just do not want to go to the airport just for an interview.. the site says you can do it without an appointment when returning to the US... so we will do it then..
 
True... it is not complete until the interview... I just do not want to go to the airport just for an interview.. the site says you can do it without an appointment when returning to the US... so we will do it then..
This is exactly what we did on return from Vietnam in March 2019 at SFO. Worked great. Just make sure that your arrival/preclearance airport is on the list.

"Enrollment on Arrival (EoA) is CBP program that allows Global Entry applicants who are conditionally approved to complete their interviews upon arrival into the United States; including those entering the United States via a designated CBP Preclearance location."
 
True... it is not complete until the interview... I just do not want to go to the airport just for an interview.. the site says you can do it without an appointment when returning to the US... so we will do it then..
This is what we did when returning through Miami back from Ecuador/Galapagos. We had originally applied during Covid - and our local airport (SAN) stopped doing appointments... as did the San Ysidro border crossing.

But - make sure you have extra time if you are making a connection. We had 4 hours - which was fine. But it took over 2 hours of that 4 hours because, apparently, all the CBP folks who do the GE interviews were all on lunch. We waited in a room with no one being processed for GE for about 90 minutes... Once called back we were processed quickly.

We had a huge time gap from when we applied and were approved and when we had our interview (over 1 year)... fortunately, the 5 year start date was from the interview.
 
Did you need the letter? Or just your passport and drivers license?

I have read that you just need to show where you live and a drivers license is all that is needed for that.
 
Did you need the letter? Or just your passport and drivers license?

I have read that you just need to show where you live and a drivers license is all that is needed for that.
It’s been years, but when we first got it they told me to bring the conditionally approved letter to the interview. They must give you instructions somewhere. You could always have the PDF on your phone. I think my instructions were in the conditionally approved letter.
 
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Yes I agree it seems to have disappeared. I usually mention to the Passport Control agent anything that I would otherwise have declared. They say fine and wave me on.

If I brought something over the limits I’ll just ask “where do I declare X?” next time.
At SFO it has not disappeared because I'm usually carrying cash in excess of $10K and declare it. I always have backup funds when travelling having been hung out to dry when I was in Japan during the Tohoku earthquake and I was in Korea during a time when North Korea did some mischief with the banking systems and EFT did not work for a few days. I always always carry cash as a backup.
 
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Decided to actually look.... no approval letter... the website says I am conditionally approved and need an interview...

The options are make an appointment, interview upon arrival and now at a few select airports (a total of 3) you can interview prior to leaving...
 
Decided to actually look.... no approval letter... the website says I am conditionally approved and need an interview...

The options are make an appointment, interview upon arrival and now at a few select airports (a total of 3) you can interview prior to leaving...
Interesting. When we were conditionally approved we got a letter in PDF form that we could download. But this was 8 years ago maybe.

So I guess my info is out of date.
 
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