A good option for those who travel to the United States regularly is to register for the Global Entry programme. Members of this programme can save time when arriving at border control in the United States. Global Entry is available to British, German, Dutch, and Swiss travellers.
What does Global Entry mean?
Global Entry is a program created by the American authorities, with the aim of allowing travelers to the United States to pass border control faster. Travelers who apply for Global Entry are screened by U.S. authorities before they travel to the USA. In some cases, this can be done in an interview at an immigration service application center; in other cases, the screening is done totally online. Those travellers who, according to the American authorities, are not a risk for the American society, will be allowed to enter the Global Entry program.
Travelers admitted to the Global Entry program must still apply for an ESTA or a visa for the United States. Therefore, Global Entry in itself is not a travel authorization. It is only an authorisation to go through an expedited passport control once in the United States.
Benefits of Global Entry
Travelers who are registered at Global Entry do not need to queue for passport control upon arrival at the airport in the USA. They can register digitally, which saves them a lot of waiting time. Global Entry is particularly interesting for business travelers or individuals who travel to the US on a regular basis. They will be thoroughly checked only once, and not every time they travel. Global Entry is available at most major airports in America.
Difference between SENTRI and Global Entry
Global Entry offers benefits only to travelers who fly to the United States. There is an additional program created by the U.S. authorities which is meant for travellers who arrive to the US by land, from Canada or Mexico. This program is called SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection). Members of the SENTRI program can enter the US by land on an expedited basis. Global Entry is more relevant than SENTRI for European travellers, since most of them arrive to the US by air.
Travelers eligible for Global Entry.
Global Entry is only available to travelers from a limited number of countries, like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany or Switzerland. Irish travelers cannot use the Global Entry program. Other countries eligible for the program include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bahrain, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Croatia, Mexico, Panama, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. Travellers who have been convicted of criminal offenses or who have pending charges are not allowed to participate in the Global Entry program.
Application process
To become members of the Global Entry program, travelers must submit an application through a U.S. Immigration Department website. They need to pay a fee of USD 120 in order to apply, regardless of whether the traveler is admitted or not.
After this, the U.S. government performs a comprehensive background check on the applicant. Depending on the country, this screening can be done by the authorities in the applicant's home country. In some countries, applicants must also go through an interview at an immigration service application center. In the United Kingdom, candidates need to go to an interview at an enrolment center in the 6 months following the background check. The Global Entry membership lasts for five years. At the end of these five years, travelers can apply for the program again.
Global Entry in the ESTA form
Bear in mind that Global Entry is not a travel authorization to travel to the United States. Travelers who are admitted to the Global Entry program must still have a valid ESTA or visa to travel to the United States. Thus, they must submit an ESTA application in addition to their Global Entry application. Having a valid ESTA or visa for the United States is mandatory, the Global Entry membership is optional.
In the ESTA application form travellers are asked if they are a member of the Global Entry program. If so, a so-called PASSID can be entered in the application form for the ESTA. This is a nine-digit membership number that travelers receive once they are admitted to the Global Entry program.