The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) congratulated the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the recently announced plan for a pilot international registered traveler program called Global Entry. The program will launch this summer at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). 

Global Entry will be designed to meet one of NBTA’s major priorities:  providing frequent low-risk business travelers with a mechanism to speed their processing through U.S. immigration checkpoints. Enrolled participants will be able to confirm their identity via a biometric check at kiosks, rather than waiting in long lines for an interview with a CBP inspector.

While the pilot is confined to operations at three airports, NBTA said it understands CBP plans a broader rollout of the program in the near future. Additionally, CBP has indicated its intentions to take further steps that would increase security while speeding traveler facilitation:

(i) develop a DHS-wide approach to traveler pre-screening programs, such as NEXUS, SENTRI, Registered Traveler, and Global Entry.

(ii) “foster close ties” among the various registered programs

(iii) develop reciprocal Global Entry programs with other countries to enable pre-screened international travelers from both nations to take advantage of expedited immigration processing

The announced fee for enrollment in the Global Entry pilot is $100. NBTA said it understands that when the program is made permanent that fee will cover five years of participation.

NBTA Executive Director & COO, Bill Connors, CTC, noted, “CBP and NBTA agree that frequent business travelers need a quick and secure means to enter the United States, and other travelers will see reduced wait times, as well, because of the efficiencies created by Global Entry. We congratulate DHS and CBP for this initiative and are grateful for the Congressional support in 2007 that reauthorized the program. We hope to see Global Entry at every major U.S. international airport by the end of next year.”

Connors added, “Many other countries have seen the value of international registered traveler programs like Global Entry, and we will work with governments and private sector players around the globe to establish a network of trusted traveler programs to make international travel as secure and efficient as possible.”