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US Customs and Border Protection installs biometric kiosk in Minnesota

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has installed a Global Entry biometric kiosk at the Port of Grand Portage, Minnesota.

June 3, 2014

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has installed a Global Entry biometric kiosk at the Port of Grand Portage, Minnesota.

CBP also recently installed two Global Entry kiosks at Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh.

Global Entry is a voluntary expedited clearance program for pre-approved low-risk international travelers, who are processed by biometric identification using a designated kiosk, rather than waiting in line for entry processing by a CBP officer when entering the U. S. at a participating CBP airport.

To enroll in the program, travelers must apply online, undergo a background investigation and complete an in-person interview with a CBP officer. The $100 application fee allows for five years of membership and travelers can use nearly 300 Global Entry kiosks located at 34 U.S. airports and 10 CBP preclearance locations in Canada and Ireland.

The CBP said in May 2014 that it is enrolling 70,000 applicants a month in Global Entry, which was originally launched in 2008.

At airports, program participants present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card at a Global Entry kiosk, place their fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk gives the traveler a transaction receipt and directs them to baggage claim and the airport exit.