Renewing My Global Entry Card…

Going through airport security and then standing in line to make your way through Customs and Immigration when returning from abroad are both real pain points for travelers.  Fortunately, Homeland Security has several trusted traveler programs that can make those processes much quicker and easier.

Some of these options are focused on travel back and forth between Mexico and Canada (NEXUS and Sentri) and there is even one for truck drivers entering and exiting the U.S. from Canada and Mexico (FAST).

Most people are familiar with TSA Pre✓, which provides a fast track through airport security along with not having to remove your shoes or cram all your liquids into a one-quart baggie.  You have to fill out a form online, pay an $85 fee for a five-year membership, go through an interview conducted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and have your fingerprints taken.

Even if you travel by air only a few times per year, it’s worth the money to reduce the stress of flying.  The vast majority of TSA Pre✓ members spend less than five minutes going through security, plus the lines are typically shorter and it’s a bit more civilized process.

But there is a better option if you occasionally travel internationally and that is Global Entry.  Global Entry gives you all of the advantages of TSA Pre✓, but is also good for land and sea travel plus you use a special kiosk upon reentry that allows you to bypass Immigration when you return to the U.S. and go directly to Customs.

Travelers participating in the program are also allowed to use NEXUS lanes and kiosks and SENTRI dedicated lanes when entering into the U.S.

To use Global Entry, you simply scan the barcode on your passport, scan your fingerprints to verify your identity and answer the Customs questions that you would normally do by filling out the form they hand out on the airplane.

Your customs form is printed by the kiosk and you’re on your way.  It typically takes me three minutes to use the kiosk versus standing in the Immigration line for who knows how long.  I can recall several times over the years when I would not have made my connecting flight had I not been able to whisk through Immigration using Global Entry.

Global entry is a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program and getting it is similar to TSA Pre✓ in that you fill out a form online, go for an interview, get fingerprinted and pay a $100 fee that makes your membership good for five years.

I’ve been a member of Global Entry for ten years.  When I renewed after my first five years, it was all done online.  When I came up for my ten-year renewal, I had to go for an interview because my photo and biometrics needed to be updated.

Interviews are done at a variety of airports.  When I first applied, I drove to Orlando to get it done because they had one of the first appointments available.  This time around I went to Tampa.  Most enrollment centers are in airports, but some are in CBP offices and some states don’t even have an enrollment center.

For instance, Wyoming doesn’t have a center at all and the only one in Montana is in Sweetgrass at the U.S.-Canada border station.  In a state that is 630 miles long and 255 miles wide, I dare say that most Montanans aren’t going to drive to northernmost Toole County just to complete their Global Entry interview.

Fortunately, there is an alternative.  Instead of scheduling an appointment at an enrollment center, you can do your interview for Global Entry when you return from your next international trip.

The Enrollment on Arrival program is for Global Entry applicants who are already conditionally-approved and just need to complete their interview, the last step of the Global Entry process, while they are clearing through United States Customs and Border Protection or Pre-Clearance.

The Enrollment on Arrival option is available at most international U.S. airports along with eleven airports outside the U.S. that have a U.S. Pre-Clearance center including Aruba, Dublin, Vancouver and Bermuda.

My interview last Friday took all of 15 minutes.  I had to show my passport and either my current Global Entry card or a valid driver’s license, I had to verify my current address, email address and phone number, and I was asked a few routine questions:

• Had I violated either Customs or Immigration rules in the last five years?
• Had I been arrested for any reason in the last five years?
• Did I have a passport from any other country?

I was read a list of countries I had traveled to in the last five years and asked to confirm the list.  I was asked if my trip to the Dominican Republic was for business or pleasure.  And I was asked several questions about my trip to Cuba – my itinerary, how long I was there, how I arrived and departed.

They then took a new set of electronic fingerprints and a new picture.  When all of that was done, I was told I would receive my new Global Entry card in a few weeks.  That’s it… easy peasy.

Brian

As an avid traveler, Brian has explored and enjoyed cultural encounters in over 40 countries while spending many years refining The Points Game — using credit card sign-up bonuses and other tricks to get nearly free travel.  Getting the most out of every trip is an art and Brian launched My Travel Traxx to help others enjoy the art of travel.