Frequent travellers who are citizens of the U.S. and also a few select countries that reside in the U.S. can be fortunate to receive expedited clearance as soon as you arrive into the United States. That means no more waiting in queues and filling forms at the customs office. Want to know how this can be made possible? This travel guide will tell you how.
In this blog, we are going to take a detailed look at the Global Service program and also learn how it facilitates travellers arriving into the United States.
Table of Contents
What is a Global Entry?
Global Entry is a program that was started and is operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service in the United States of America. Basically, the program allows both U.S. nationals and citizens of other participating countries that are returning home from abroad to expedite the pre-approved clearance and immigration process upon arrival at U.S. airports.
Through this program, travellers that are already pre-approved and are seen as low risk, can receive expedite clearance when arriving at a U.S. airport.
If you are a citizen of another country and are presently living in the United States, you will also be considered a member of the program. This means you can also benefit from the program. However, there are certain eligibility criteria that must be fulfilled, which we shall see in the later section.
What Benefits Does the Program Offer?
A major benefit of the Global Entry program is that when you arrive at an U.S. airport, you can easily skip the lanes in the CBP lane and use the automated kiosks. This will give you expedited entry into the U.S.
In addition, you don’t need to fill out any paper forms of the customs, since the process is now fully automated via the kiosks that are available at several U.S. airports. You just need to click a couple buttons on the screen and things are done quickly. You also don’t need to wait to have your passport checked.
Who are Eligible for the Program?
There are not too many requirements needed in order to be eligible for the Global Entry program. In fact, the only eligibility requirements needed for the program is that you must be a national of the countries given below.
- Argentina
- Colombia
- Germany
- India
- Mexico
- Panama
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
- United States
In other words, these countries are participating in the Global Entry program. For the nationals of South Korea, members of Smart Entry Service, which is a border control program similar to the Global Entry program, are eligible.
Also, travellers who are nationals and permanent residents of the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively, are eligible for the program. On the other hand, nationals and permanent residents of Canada are not eligible for the program.
In future, more participating countries will be included in the program.
How to Get Your Global Entry Approval to Enter the U.S.?
You can enrol in the Global Entry program and avail the benefits the program has to offer. Here is a quick look at how the enrolment procedure works.
(i) First, file an application with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
(ii) Submit your application along with a $100 non-refundable fee.
(iii) Schedule an appointment for an interview and background check.
(iv) You will also need to provide your digital photograph and fingerprint scan for identification.
(v) Waiting for conditional approval or rejection can take several days, months even.
(vi) If approved, your membership ID card will be issued and sent to you via physical mail.
The process usually takes a couple minutes to a few hours in order to approve or reject your application, and also depending on the officer who is interviewing you.
How to Use Your Global Entry Membership ID at a U.S. Airport Kiosk?
There are automated kiosks installed at several U.S. airports. Instead of waiting for your turn at the queue, you can just skip that and use these kiosks to complete the necessary process upon arrival. The touch-enabled kiosks allow you to click or tap on the instructions and it takes only a moment.
Global Entry Kiosks Available at These U.S. Airports
You can now easily find automated kiosks at these U.S. airports that are listed in alphabetical order along with their IATA code and city.
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (IATA: AUS), Austin
- Baltimore/Washington International Airport (IATA: BWI), Washington D.C.
- Bradley International Airport (IATA: BDL), Hartford
- Burlington International Airport (IATA: BTV), Burlington
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (IATA: CVG), Kentucky
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (IATA: CLT), Charlotte
- Chicago Midway International Airport (IATA: MDW), Chicago
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (IATA: ORD), Chicago
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (IATA: CLE), Cleveland
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas-Ft. Worth
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (IATA: HNL), Honolulu
- Denver International Airport (IATA: DEN), Denver
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (IATA: DTW), Detroit
- Fairbanks International Airport (IATA: FAI), Fairbanks
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (IATA: FLL), Ft. Lauderdale
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IATA: IAH), Houston
- Guam Won Pat International Airport (IATA: GUM), Guam island
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (IATA: ATL), Atlanta
- Indianapolis International Airport (IATA: IND), Indianapolis
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK), New York City
- John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA), Orange County
- Kansas City International Airport (IATA: MCI), Kansas City
- Logan International Airport (IATA: BOS), Boston
- Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX), Los Angeles
- McCarran International Airport (IATA: LAS), Las Vegas
- Miami International Airport (IATA: MIA), Miami
- Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (IATA: MKE), Milwaukee
- Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (IATA: MSP), Minneapolis
- Nashville International Airport (IATA: BNA), Nashville
- New Orleans Airport (IATA: MSY), New Orleans
- Stewart International Airport (IATA: SWF), New York City
- Newark Liberty International Airport (IATA: EWR), Newark
- Oakland International Airport (IATA: OAK), Oakland
- Ontario International Airport (IATA: ONT), Ontario
- Orlando International Airport (IATA: MCO), Orlando
- Orlando Melbourne International Airport (IATA: MLB), Orlando
- Orlando Stanford International Airport (IATA: SFB), Orlando
- Philadelphia International Airport (IATA: PHL), Philadelphia
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX), Phoenix
- Pittsburgh International Airport (IATA: PIT), Pittsburgh
- Portland International Airport (IATA: PDX), Portland
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (IATA: RDU), Raleigh-Durham
- Sacramento International Airport (IATA: SMF), Sacramento
- Saipan International Airport (IATA: SPN), Saipan Island
- Salt Lake City International Airport (IATA: SLC), Salt Lake City
- San Antonio Airport (IATA: SAT), San Antonio
- San Diego International Airport (IATA: SAN), San Diego
- San Francisco International Airport (IATA: SFO), San Francisco
- San Jose International Airport (IATA: SJC), San Jose
- San Juan Airport (IATA: SJU), San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (IATA: SEA), Seattle
- South Bend International Airport (IATA: SBN), South Bend
- Southwest Florida International Airport (IATA: RSW), South Fort Myers, Florida
- St. Louis Lambert International Airport (IATA: STL), St. Louis
- Tampa International Airport (IATA: TPA), Tampa
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (IATA: ANC), Anchorage
- T. F. Green International Airport (IATA: PVD), Providence
- Toledo Express Airport (IATA: TOL), Toledo, Ohio
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IATA: IAD), Washington D.C.
- William P. Hobby International Airport (IATA: HOU), Houston
Does the Global Entry Membership have any Expiration?
Yes. When you are issued a Global Entry membership ID or card, it is valid for a period of five years. After the expiry of its validation period, you will be required to renew your membership immediately in order to avail its services and benefits when travelling.
Conclusion
Global Entry program can be beneficial to a lot of travellers who are U.S. nationals and also, the ones that have immigrated and are now permanently residing here. It just saves you time at the airport and you also don’t need to complete any lengthy formalities.
