US Ambassador to the UK, Matthew Barzun, and US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, Gil Kerlikowski, announced the expansion of Global Entry to UK citizens from 3rd December at the World Travel Market in London. Global Entry, a CBP Trusted Traveller Programme, allows for expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travellers.
Visitors to the USA from Canada, Mexico, Germany, South Korea and now the UK are eligible to apply to CBP Truste Traveller Programmes – five of the top 10 source markets.
Currently available at 46 US airports and 13 pre-clearance locations, Global Entry streamlines the screening process at airports for trusted travellers. The programme now has more than 2.5 million members enrolled, and CBP receives approximately 70,000 new applications for Global Entry each month.
To register for Global Entry, UK citizens will apply through the UK Home Office website and pay a £42 processing fee. If the applicant passes the UK vetting, they will receive a ‘UK Access Code’, which applicants will enter when applying for Global Entry through CBP’s Global Online Enrollment System.
The non-refundable application fee for a five-year Global Entry membership is $100 and applications must be made online.
Once the application is approved, a CBP officer will conduct a scheduled interview with the applicant and then make a final eligibility determination. Once enrolled, Global Entry members proceed to dedicated kiosks at their arrival airport, present their machine-readable passport, scan their fingerprints, and complete a customs declaration form. The kiosk will then issue a transaction recipe to the traveller, directing the traveller to baggage claim and the exit. Some members may still be selected for further examination.
Members of the Global Entry programme may use Global Entry kiosks at any participating airport for a duration of five years.
