What Is Global Entry?

What is Global Entry?

Global Entry is a trusted-traveler program run by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that provides expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers arriving in the United States from abroad. According to CBP, members skip the regular passport-control and customs lines and instead use an expedited process on arrival, dramatically cutting the wait after an international flight. A major bonus is that Global Entry membership also includes TSA PreCheck benefits for domestic security screening, so one program covers both faster international arrivals and faster domestic checkpoints. Membership lasts five years. Global Entry is ideal for people who travel internationally with any regularity, since the time saved clearing customs on each return trip quickly adds up.

How does Global Entry work?

When you arrive in the US as a Global Entry member, instead of waiting in the general line for a CBP officer, you use the expedited Global Entry process, historically a kiosk and increasingly a mobile app, to verify your identity and declaration and move quickly through. This gets you to baggage claim and out of the airport far faster than the standard line. For domestic flights, your Global Entry membership gives you TSA PreCheck, so you use the PreCheck lane at security by adding your Known Traveler Number to your reservation. To keep the benefits, you must maintain your membership and renew it before it expires. The core payoff is speed: less time in line at two of travel's biggest bottlenecks.

How much is Global Entry and how do you apply?

Global Entry costs 120 dollars for a five-year membership, which works out to 24 dollars a year and includes TSA PreCheck, making it good value for international travelers. Applying involves creating a Trusted Traveler Programs account, submitting an application with the fee, passing a background check, and completing an in-person interview at an enrollment center, though CBP also offers enrollment on arrival at some airports to complete the interview when you land. Approval can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months, so apply well ahead of a trip. Many travel credit cards reimburse the 120-dollar fee as a statement credit, effectively making Global Entry free, so check whether a card you hold offers that benefit before paying.

What is the difference between Global Entry and TSA PreCheck?

The two programs speed up different parts of travel, and Global Entry includes PreCheck. TSA PreCheck expedites domestic security screening at US airports, letting you keep shoes, belts, and light jackets on and laptops and liquids in your bag; it costs less, around 78 to 85 dollars for five years, and suits travelers who mostly fly domestically. Global Entry expedites international arrivals through customs and passport control, and because it also bundles in PreCheck, members get the domestic security benefit too. For roughly 40 dollars more than PreCheck, Global Entry adds the international arrival benefit, so if you travel abroad even occasionally, Global Entry is usually the better value, while PreCheck alone makes sense for purely domestic flyers.