GOES - Pay 100 Dollars to pass through Customs quickly!
No, we are not talking about speed money. Air travellers will soon be able to speed through Customs checkpoints at some U.S. airports when they return from trips abroad through the new Global Entry program.
People who pass a background check and pay 100 dollars to enrol will enter a separate Customs line at Washington Dulles, Houston Intercontinental and New York's Kennedy starting June 10. They will swipe their passport at a kiosk instead of having it read by a Customs officer and electronically answer questions similar to those on a Customs declaration form.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the Global Entry pilot program, scheduled to launch soon. Global Entry is designed to expedite the screening and processing of low-risk, frequent international “trusted” travellers entering the United States.
Global Entry will be available for U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are frequent international travellers, provided they have not been found guilty of a criminal offense, charged with a customs or immigration offense, or declared inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration legislation. Biometric fingerprint technology will be used to verify the passenger’s identity and confirm his or her status as a Global Entry participant.
“The Global Entry pilot program is an important next step in building upon the foundation of CBP’s other trusted traveller programs, such as NEXUS and SENTRI, and extending expedited processing to low-risk, international air travellers,” said CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham.
The pilot will be initially conducted at John F. Kennedy International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. The program will begin processing applications from the public starting May 12 with operations at the three initial airports scheduled to begin June 10.
Upon returning from international travel, Global Entry -enrolled travellers may bypass the regular passport control line and proceed directly to the Global Entry kiosk. At the kiosk, the Global Entry traveller will activate the system by inserting his or her passport or U.S. permanent resident card into the document reader. The kiosk will direct the traveller to electronically provide his or her fingerprints and will compare that biometric data with the fingerprint biometrics on file. A digital photograph will also be taken of the traveller as part of the transaction record. Finally, the traveller will be prompted to answer several CBP declaration questions posted on the kiosk’s touch-screen. Once the process is successfully completed, the traveller will be issued a transaction receipt which must be presented to the CBP officer as the participant leaves the CBP inspection area.
Applications for enrolment in the Global Entry program will be available through the Global On-Line Enrolment System (GOES).