U.S. to Allow U.K. Citizens to Apply for Global Entry Trusted Traveler Program

Global Entry kiosks at JFK

U.K. citizens will be eligible to apply for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry trusted traveler program starting Thursday.

Global Entry allows passengers entering the United States to bypass the line for passport control and use a kiosk instead of completing a paper landing card and interacting with a Customs and Border Protection agent. Global Entry members are also eligible to use TSA PreCheck trusted traveler security lanes at U.S. airports.

The Global Entry service is available at 46 U.S. airports and 13 pre-clearance locations. A traveler inserts his machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card into a slot in the kiosk, places his fingertips on a scanner for biometric verification, and completes a digital customs declaration. The kiosk issues a transaction receipt that is then presented at the baggage claim exit.

To join Global Entry, U.K. citizens must first complete a background check at a cost of £42. Once that is completed, the applicant receives a “UK access code” that allows him to apply for Global Entry at a cost of $100 for five years. The last step in the application process is an interview with an American immigration official.

Citizens of Canada, Germany, Mexico, and South Korea are also eligible to join Global Entry.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)