News

Global Entry now a permanent resident

February 7, 2012

The Global Entry trusted traveler program, which uses kiosks to speed the passage of air passengers arriving in the United States through customs and immigration inspections, is officially permanent, according to a ruling published Monday by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Estimating that Global Entry cuts time spent in customs by up to 70 percent for most participants, CBP announced more travelers would be able to use lawful travel documents and provide their fingerprints at specialized kiosks to expedite their arrival into the country. Most Global Entry travelers are able to process themselves into the country in about five minutes, CBP estimated.

The permanent program takes the place of a pilot program started in June 2008. Since then, the program has expanded several times and is now accessible at 20 U.S. international airports. Pilot participants seamlessly roll over into the permanent program, CBP announced, receiving extension to a five-year membership in Global Entry beginning from their time of first enrollment.

The ruling also allows Global Entry to expand to additional airports, and travelers under the age of 18 may also participate in the program if they qualify and receive permission from their parents or guardians.

More than 1 million travelers already participate in Global Entry, which is available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents and Mexican nationals. Canadian and Dutch citizens also can join Global Entry through its links to other programs -- CBP Nexus for Canadians and the Dutch Privium program for citizens of the Netherlands.

The new ruling also opens the possibility to soon admit other foreign nationals, such as citizens of China, into the United States via kiosk.

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