Global Entry Office – Philadelphia Airport

I hope this helps someone who’s driving in!:
— Follow signs for «Arrivals»
— Park at short-​term parking in Terminal A WEST (this will be a sharp turn in) — go slowly, and when you make the turn, turn right again to park
— You’ll see the terminal in front of you, park towards the right-​hand side.
— Facing the terminal, enter the last door on the right of the building
— Get on the ESCALATOR (not elevator!!!) going up.
— You’ll land on the floor you need, passing Dunkin’ Donuts and the newsstand.
— You’ll enter the international arrivals room with big round red seats.
— Global entry is on the left wall. Click the intercom once to be let in
When the interview is finished, you won’t leave via the same door where you were buzzed in. After the agent escorts you out the door following the interview, go straight to the wall, make a slight left, and you’ll get on escalators leading you back down to the parking lot.
BTW the agents were super nice, the process is a bit weird with the two holding rooms and the «who’s next?» question vs. knowing who’s next, but it somehow works.

When you are taking the cab or the SEPTA train: Just follow the signs to the «international arrivals» when you get off at the Arrivals, terminal A. There will be a sign that says «Global Entry Enrollment» in front of a glass door once you’re there. (Turn right if you took the elevator to get to the third floor.) You need to ring the bell in front of the door in order to get in.

I have a story to share about the PHL Global Entry office, and it’s not a good one. My husband and I were mistreated here and I would not recommend it to anyone. We were travelling to Venice, Italy via PHL and I thought I would utilize our 3.5 hour layover to complete our interviews. From what I had read online, they are generally pretty short, no more than 15 minutes, and they take some fingerprints.
We had a 1 year old girl at the time, we all had appointments, arrived on time, and were buzzed into the office with two other gentlemen who did not have appointments. We sat in a small waiting room where they were showing a video about the Global Entry process. I noticed some very tiny signs on the wall about no cell phones, and made a mental note not to call anyone. We kept looking at our watches, and pretty soon, 45 minutes had gone by and we had watched the looped video 6 times. We were tired after flying early from LA, my husband and I running on 2 and 4 hours of sleep, respectively. My baby was getting fussy. No one came to tell us anything. Finally, my husband fell asleep in his chair, and I was trying to keep the baby entertained. My husband’s phone rang, and he jolted out of his nap, a little confused about where he was. He saw it was his mom, and answered because he was waiting to hear if she and her husband had made her connection in DC, as they were meeting us in Venice. I don’t think he had noticed the No Cell Phone signs or was too tired to remember, and I was too busy with baby to think to remind him.
Within 20 seconds of his answering, a very intimidating border agent stormed into the room and yelled, «Sir, there is no cell phone use in here! Get off your phone!» My husband literally jumped in his chair, looking startled, and said to his mom, «Mother, I have to go, I’m being scolded.» As he hung up, I turned to the agent and said, «I’m sorry, he didn’t see the signs.» But the guy gave us no opportunity to explain anything else, not that we were exhausted, that he had been asleep and confused, or that we had been waiting for 45 minutes past our appointment. He turned to the two people without appointments, and said «I’ll take you two,» turned back to us and said, in a very threatening tone, «You two will have to wait.» We were shocked and utterly blind-​sided by this aggressive overreaction and unreasonable person.
We were forced to wait another 20 minutes. Our baby had a poopy diaper, and I was very irritated at being made to wait. The agent came back, and without giving us another second to explain ourselves, said to my husband, «We are not going to see you today. You will have to come back another time.» My husband leaped up, saying, «What?!» I jumped up and tried to defend him, saying, «Sir, he didn’t know about the no cell phone rule, and I should have reminded him but-​» The agent cut me off saying, «Are you with him?» «Yes,» I said. He replied, «Then I’m not going to see you either.» My husband and I then demanded to know why, and to explain our side, but he wouldn’t listen. He made us leave the waiting room, and my husband was very upset (he hates to be disrespected), and demanded to have this man’s name so he could report him to a manager, and the guy said, «I could give you this business card, but if I do, I will put a note making sure you NEVER get Global Entry.» I said, «Then we don’t want your card,» and I pushed back at him, but he wouldn’t take it back. My husband was fuming, I was almost hysterical, and our baby was fussy. The man went back into the office, and I burst into tears in front of several employees. One kind woman listened as we told her our story, and a male employee told us how mean the agents can be. He said one airport employee was fired because he failed to show his badge to an agent fast enough. We said that we are never coming back and will report this as soon as we could. As if that wasn’t bad enough, we had to go back through security, where, in my emotional state, I misplaced my passport and had to run around in a panic before our flight trying to find it. It turns out I had hastily put it in my backpack instead of around my waist. So we started our trip in a state of shock and tears. Fortunately, the rest of the trip was fantastic and helped us forget about this temporarily.
A few months ago, however, we decided to try to get Global Entry again at LAX, seeing as we had already spent $ 300, non-​refundable. We got there super early, ready to explain what happened if they asked about the prior «issue at airport,» as it said on our GOES website profile. There was no need. They took all three of us early, no waiting room, no questions about PHL, and we were done in 5 minutes! The agents were super nice, too. We couldn’t believe the difference between our treatment there and our treatment in Philidelphia. We are now happily in possession of our Global Entry cards. I reported the incident to the Customs Office, and advise all to beware of PHL Global Entry.

I had a stressful time hiding this place, so this review is mean to help others avoid the stress I experienced.
Okay, so you want to do Global Entry in Philly? Great. If you’re reading this from home, skip to the last few paragraphs. My next paragraph is aimed at helping those who are already at the airport and confused.
So you’re at the airport? I hope you’ve carved out at least 15 minutes to find this office, but if you didn’t, then prepare to walk briskly.
You’ll arrive at Terminal A WEST and see a lot of American Airlines kiosks, but no further signs telling you where to find Global Entry. Go all the way left and take the elevator or escalator to the second floor. (The directions from your letter probably said «third floor», but you’ll notice no Floor 3 on this elevator. Also, don’t turn Right when you enter the terminal. I did, and got stuck on a one-​way escalator with no exit.)
Once you go up to the second floor, go straight. You’ll see that the Security lanes start, and you may be thinking «Crap, am I going the wrong way? I don’t have my boarding pass!» Keep going. But before you enter a security lane, you’ll see an option to go left again. If there’s an agent here asking for your boarding pass, explain that you’re going to Global Entry.
Go straight down a long hallway. It inclines up, it turns, it seems to go on forever. Finally you’ll reach another elevator. The signs here are confusing again, and seem to suggest you’re about to go to the parking lots. That’s okay. Hop into the elevator and go to Floor 3. (This is ACTUALLY the Floor 3 you need.)
Now you’ll be on a floor where things make sense. If you look along the left wall, you’ll see some doors, a lot of intimidating «DO NOT ENTER» signs, and a security officer standing by the door. Go to the security officer and explain you’re there for Global Entry. (Again, I think a lot of the airport staff already know to expect many confused people.) You’ll be asked to ring a doorbell and speak to a Global Entry officer. The officer will ask you what you’re here for, so just mention your appointment and your scheduled time. You’ll stand here for 5 – 10 minutes, possibly with others who have been waiting there.
After that, you’ll be escorted to a waiting room to watch a video about the program. Expect to wait anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes for your interviewer to appear. The interview itself is quick and easy, and if you’re a good and polite human you should be out of there in 15 – 20 minutes.
Don’t bother calling Global Entry to say you’re late, they probably won’t pick up. The phone number, if you want it, is (215) 863‑4203 at the time of this review.
Now, are you the person reading this review from the comfort of your desk? Great. I can advise you to carve out AT LEAST 30 minutes of extra time prior to your appointment time. It takes a little energy to find the place, but you’ll eventually find it and it’ll be easy once you do.
So a question. Are you hopping onto a flight right after your interview? Not a bad idea, but you want to cut out even MORE time for your appointment. Why? First, you may not start your interview right on the dot. Second, there may be many people in front of you who are late for their appointments. Third, and worst of all, it’s a pain in the arse to leave Terminal A and get to your airline’s terminal when you haven’t yet printed your boarding pass. It’s not actually far away or anything, but it’s really confusing, the signage in the airport is horrible, and staff members didn’t seem to know how to help.
After my interview, I was sent in the wrong direction by a grumpy passport checking employee. I wasn’t allowed to pass through a hallway because I didn’t have a boarding pass (keep in mind I can’t get a boarding pass because I wasn’t in my airline’s terminal to begin with.) The employee said I should go outside to catch an «official shuttle».
So I go outside and wait 15 minutes for a shuttle. Nothing came. A businessman getting out of a hotel van said I was better off going inside, passing through International security and moving to a terminal that way. (Wut.) So running out of time now, in a moment of panic, I hail down a non-​airport hotel shuttle and beg them to bring me to Terminal E. Thankfully, this was the NICEST DRIVER EVER, he assured me things would be fine, and he brought me to my terminal (Raffi of the Days Inn, I’m looking at you.) I made it there, I made my flight, but not without a very stressful experience.
So yeah… planning your Global Entry appointment along with a schedule flight isn’t a horrible idea, but give yourself ample time to avoid unnecessary stress. The airport has poor wayfinding signs, and there aren’t many sources for reliable help once you get there.
Good luck!