Have you guys heard of Global Entry? If you are not aware, it’s a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that expedites clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers upon arrival in the United States. Shelby and I recently applied and were approved for Global Entry. How do you get Global Entry you ask? You apply online, and pay a $100 non-refundable application fee. Once your application is processed and approved, you have to schedule an interview with a customs and border patrol officer at the airport. Please note though, that this is not available at every airport, so if you don’t live in or near a major city, make sure you are able to get to your closest location before you apply. If you are a US citizen and travel overseas at least a few times a year, these are some reasons why you need Global Entry.
- After a fun-filled international trip, the last thing you want to do is wait in a super long customs line. You’re usually getting off a very long flight, and you want to get home and into your bed as quick as possible. Once you arrive at an airport after an international trip, you are “fast tracked” to a Global Entry kiosk. You just insert your passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk issues you a transaction receipt, which you pass to an officer, and then you’re on your way!
- TSA PreCheck is included in your Global Entry membership. The cost of PreCheck alone is $85, If you are considering paying the $85 fee for PreCheck, you may as well just pay the extra $15 for both Global Entry and PreCheck, even if you aren’t planning to travel internationally. You never know. Once you get your Global Entry card with your Trusted Traveler number, you can then log into your frequent flyer accounts and enter that information into your profile under “Known Traveler ID.” This should automatically register you for TSA PreCheck on reservations you make on participating airlines when you fly through airports that have PreCheck.
- You don’t have to fill out the blue US Customs and Border Control landing card that you are handed on the plane. So you don’t have to dig through your carry on for a pen (or ask everyone else in your row for one you can borrow) and keep your focus on that inflight movie.
- You actually don’t have to be a US citizen to qualify for Global Entry. Citizens of Canada, Columbia, Germany, Mexico, Panama, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are eligible to apply.
- As part of the interview process, you are fingerprinted and have a photo taken for your Global Entry identification card. This is a card, similar to a driver’s license, and is essentially a valid Federal ID that can be a handy secondary form of identification if needed.
A quick tip-
Don’t be discouraged if you see the first available interview appointment is months down the line. Check daily for cancellations. We initially had appointments a couple months in the future, but after monitoring for a few days, we were both able to move up our appointments. You can also try another interview center. If you’re applying for Global Entry, chances are you are a frequent traveler, so check the availability at another location you know you will be traveling to. Officially, walk in appointments are not accepted. However, I’ve heard people have had success with this. If someone else with an appointment hasn’t shown up due to travel delays or rescheduling, you may just get lucky.
Do you have Global Entry or TSA PreCheck? Do you think it’s worth it?
-Ash xx
P.S. Be sure to watch our video below with all of our airport travel tips
