Global Entry: Clearing Customs Faster

As a travel agent, you help your clients see the world. You research top destinations, find resorts and book activities that can enhance their experience. But now, more than ever, those dream vacations are occurring outside of the United States. International travel is becoming increasingly common – so how can you help your clients with their travel experience when they return home? One way is by suggesting they enroll in the Global Entry Program, a program set up by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to clear customs faster upon arrival in the U.S. For your clients who travel internationally at least once or twice a year, it can save them a lot of time and comes with these impressive perks:

1. No paperwork and processing lines – Who likes dealing with paperwork and lines after a vacation? Global Entry can create a hassle-free airport experience for your clients. 
2. Available at major U.S. airports – Many of the major airports in the U.S. have Global Entry kiosks, but check out this list to make sure your clients’ airports are on it.
3. Access to expedited entry benefits in other countries – Depending on where your clients are traveling , they might be able to speed up their airport experience with Global Entry. The list above includes other countries that participate in the program. 
4. Reduced wait times – Your clients won’t have to go through the long, congested lines at customs – quickly getting them back home and relaxing after their travels!
5. TSA Pre Check eligibility – If your clients are enrolled in the Global Entry Program, they automatically get TSA Pre Check. But, and this is important, it does not work the other way around. If your clients are enrolled in TSA Pre-Check, they do not automatically have Global Entry.

The Global Entry Process 

It’s easier than you think – help your clients follow these steps to get them on their way to expedited, stress-free travel.

1. Review the eligibility requirements before applying (Spoiler: all U.S citizens and U.S lawful permanent residents are eligible, as well as citizens from select countries).
2. Visit the U.S Customs and Border Protection Global Entry page and follow the application steps there, which include setting us a Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) account.
3. Pay the $100 application fee.
4. Customs and Border Protection will review the completed application and instruct travelers to schedule an interview at a Global Entry Enrollment Center.
5. Attend the interview.  U.S. citizens need to bring a valid passport and one other form of I.D. to the interview. Lawful permanent residents should bring their machine readable permanent resident card.

Be sure to let your clients know that once the application and interview are done, and they’ve been approved, they’ll have Global Entry for five years, making it well worth the small fee!

If your clients need help determining which trusted traveler program to enroll in, check out the Department of Homeland Security’s comparison tool. After answering a few short questions, it will show your client which program is the best match for them. Remember, the application process for these programs can take about two to three weeks to complete, so remind your clients to apply with enough time to complete the process before their trip!