The Ultimate Guide to Global Entry
US Airport Security Series:
The Ultimate Guide to TSA PreCheck
The Ultimate Guide to Global Entry
Global Entry has saved me hours of waiting at US airport immigration throughout the 4 years that I have had it. It makes the wait of entering airports in the United States go from an hour (or more) to less than five minutes in the Global Entry section. So what is Global Entry, how does it work, and where is it?
What Do You Get With Global Entry and How Does it Work?
With Global Entry, upon entering the US at airports or airports that have US pre clearance, you get to use a shorter line where you can clear immigration using kiosks instead of checking in with an actual person. Global Entry is also available upon entering the United States via ground from Canada or Mexico where you have the ability to use the NEXUS or SENTRI lines instead of the regular lines. I have personally entered the US both ways with Global Entry, and it can save hours both at airports and while entering the US via ground (especially when the car lines are more than a mile long). I won’t discuss entering the US via ground with Global Entry in any more detail (as this is Air Travel Analysis), but please note that that is another reason whey I love Global Entry so much. So what happens when you enter the US with Global Entry?
How Global Entry Works:
- The first thing you have to do with Global Entry is arrive at an entry point to the US at an airport which has Global Entry or at an airport outside the US that has pre clearance for entering the US (found at most airports in Canada, Dublin, Shannon, Abu Dhabi, the Bahamas, Aruba, and Bermuda). You now should look for a marker which has the Global Entry logo on it – walk to that and the Global Entry area will be there.
- Next, you have to go to one of the open kiosks. Most times a kiosk will be open, although rarely there will be a very short, less than 5 minute wait. You then should walk to an open kiosk and have your passport ready. Please note that children can only use Global Entry if they themselves also have it (meaning you can’t take your kid to it if only you have it).
- At your kiosk, you first will have to take your passport and put it in a passport scanner where your name and flight should then come up on the screen. You will have to do a fingerprint scan where you place your four fingers on a green pad. Then, the machine very quickly takes a picture of you which will be used later. Next, you have to answer a few questions such as what your flight number was and if you have anything to declare. Finally, a receipt with your photo will be printed out.
- You now have to head to a desk where a US border officer will take your receipt and make sure that you match the picture on the receipt (it really should only take a few seconds).
- You now are arriving at the baggage claim around an hour earlier than you would have had you been in the regular line (if there are a lot of international flights arriving at the same time). Unfortunately, the wait at baggage claim may be a bit longer, but at least you will be there right when your bags arrive and you won’t have to be waiting in a line. You now can head for the exit of baggage claim and can either head to your final destination or a connecting flight.
How Do You Get Global Entry and At What Airports is Global Entry Available?
To be eligible to apply for Global Entry, you must be a law abiding:
- US Citizen
- US Permanent Resident
- Citizen of Argentina
- Citizen of India
- Citizen of Columbia
- Citizen of the UK
- Citizen of Germany
- Citizen of Panama
- Citizen of Singapore
- Citizen of South Korea
- Citizen of Switzerland
- Citizen of Taiwan
- Citizen of Mexico
You can apply for Global Entry at any age – even young children can apply! However, if you are a child (under 18), you must complete the application process with a legal guardian, and they also must give the legal consent for the child.
How to get Global Entry:
To get Global Entry, you must first create a Trusted Program account. You can do that here (see link). Second, you have to pay a $100 fee to apply for Global Entry. This fee is non refundable (even if you don’t get accepted into Global Entry). Along with the fee is an application that you have to fill out. After you fill out the online form and pay the fee, the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) will review your form. If your application is accepted by the CBP, then you will have to schedule an interview for Global Entry. Please note that the wait for an interview can take several months. At the interview, you have to bring your passport or permanent residence card (if you are a US permanent resident). At the interview, you will be asked a few questions and will have to give fingerprints. If you get accepted (if you are law abiding and don’t mess up the entry form, you should be accepted) you can now use Global Entry. You will also eventually be mailed a Global Entry card which you can use to prove you have Global Entry while entering the US via ground. Global Entry Enrollment Centers are available at most major airports and cities. For a list of Enrollment Centers, see the link here.
Global Entry is available at most airports with international arrivals within the United States and at most airports with US pre clearance. For a full list, see the link here to the CBP website.
Lastly, another benefit of Global Entry is that you automatically become eligible for TSA PreCheck, so you don’t have to go through the whole enrollment process again. All you have to do is add your known traveller number to your ticket, and you will be eligible for PreCheck.
Is Global Entry Worth It?
You have to pay a $100 fee every five years to get access to Global Entry. The fee also includes TSA PreCheck, so the fee is really $20 a year per person for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. If you travel more than once per year outside of the United States, this is an amazing deal. Compared to the price of an airline ticket, this is a tiny fee to save you hours of waiting through airport security and immigration. So do I recommend it? 100% I do. It really is worth the small fee and wait time to get an interview. It truly is amazing (to me) to be able to get through immigration in less than 5 minutes while it takes most other people over an hour.
I think my general rule would be that if you travel into the United States more than once a year, you should at least apply for Global Entry. If you don’t travel outside of or into the US more than once a year, the entire application process is probably too strenuous for little to no use at all.
Conclusion:
I don’t think that I emphasized this one thing enough in the sections above: with Global Entry, you get two things: access to the Global Entry kiosks and TSA PreCheck. You not only get to skip the line at immigration, but you also get to skip the line in security. For $20 a year, getting both Global Entry and PreCheck really is an amazing deal. Think of all the hours wasted at immigration and airport security throughout a year. With Global Entry, you can skip both of those lines. For most people who have Global Entry, including me, it really drastically decreases the amount of time you have to spend waiting in lines at US airports.
Do you have Global Entry? What do you think of it?