Border controlGlobal Entry program expands to four additional airports
CBP announced the expansion of the Global Entry program to four additional airports; the expansion will make the program available at airports serving 97 percent of international travelers arriving in the United States
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the other day announced the initial expansion of the Global Entry program to four additional airports: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minneapolis, Minnesota on 5 March; Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, on 12 March; Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado, on 19 March; and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona on 26 March.
In January, President Obama signed an Executive Order announcing new initiatives to increase travel and tourism in the United States while encouraging job creation, including making the Global Entry pilot program a permanent initiative. CBP says this expansion will make expedited clearance through the Global Entry program available at airports serving 97 percent of international travelers arriving in the United States.
Global Entry, now available at twenty-four U.S. international airports, allows pre-approved members a streamlined, automated alternative to regular passport processing lines. The program currently reduces average wait times by more than 70 percent, with more than 75 percent of travelers using Global Entry processed in less than five minutes.
At Global Entry kiosks, members insert their machine readable passport or lawful permanent resident card into a document reader, provide digital fingerprints for comparison with fingerprints on file, answer customs declaration questions on the kiosk’s touch-screen, and then present a transaction receipt to CBP officers before leaving the inspection area.
CBP says that over the last three years it has enrolled more than 270,000 members in Global Entry who have used the kiosks more than 1.9 million times.
Applications for enrollment in the Global Entry program are available through the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES). An applicant must complete and submit an online application through GOES and pay a non-refundable $100 application fee. CBP will review the applicant’s information, conduct a background investigation, and interview the applicant at a CBP enrollment center.
The program is available to U.S. citizens and U.S lawful permanent residents as well as pre-approved Mexican nationals. Citizens of the Netherlands may also apply under a special reciprocal arrangement that links Global Entry with the Dutch Privium program in Amsterdam. Canadian citizens and residents may participate in Global Entry through membership in the NEXUS program.
