I am here to tell everyone that travels internationally to get Global Entry. After reading this article you should jump on the website, fill out your form and get the next appointment at the nearest airport (hopefully there is one available soon!) Unfortunately as you know there are no photos allowed so I have taken a few from the global entry site.
For those who are oblivious to what I am ranting and raving about, Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers in the United States. This takes away LONG customs and immigrations lines and check in lines at US airports (Pre-TSA approved). But there are even more perks that I will let you know about. It is just $100 for 5 years!! So you are paying $20 a year for hassle free travel!
You can learn about how to get global entry on their website here. Once you are approved and you receive your card it can now be used as a Federal ID. Then you must go into all of your travel airlines and add your knew ID number to the portion of your profile that is “Known Traveler ID.” Once you book tickets, the system will recognize you as Global Entry and you can start using all the perks. (Note: Not all airlines participate in Global Entry, but most of the major ones do… Delta, American, JetBlue etc)
TSA PreCheck Approved: Keep your shoes on! Don’t take your laptop out! Just walk on through!
One of the hassles of traveling is that LONG line to get to your gate. People are taking out their liquids, and laptops, taking off their shoes. Then you look to the side, and you see individuals (people like me) walking into a line with no one else in it, putting their bags on the scanner and walking through with shoes on and sometimes a light jacket. No we aren’t a celebrity… We have Global Entry! And you can too!! Trust me, the day you are running late for your flight and you walk in through the line TSA PreCheck approved line in less than 5 minutes, you will definitely know why Global Entry is worth it.
No More Blue Immigration Forms on the Plane!
Every time I travel I tell myself put a pen close by so when I get that blue immigration form I can fill it out! #EpicFail I am always scrambling around for a pen, or borrowing a pen from my new friend (aka passenger next to me). Then the search continues for my passport… well now, you can kindly decline that blue form and sleep your way to landing. Everything will be waiting for you at the Global Entry Kiosks.
Global Entry Kiosks
No more blue immigration forms. Here you simply scan your passport, and the machine brings up that same sheet in a quick and fast process. Follow the instructions on the screen, and you will have a printed receipt before you know it.
Shorter/Nonexistent lines in Immigration!
I have come back into the country several times, and walked right up to the officer. In fact, you are usually in the line that the airline crew/diplomats go through. You walk on up with the white sheet of paper with a horrible black and white photo of yourself and get the usual “Welcome Home!” in just a few minutes. If you are coming into a big airport like Miami, this can sometimes be hours of waiting in the immigration line alone… If that isn’t worth your $20 bucks a year… I don’t know what is!
You have your own line in Baggage Claim.
Unfortunately, they don’t place your luggage in a special part of the plane that allows it to come out first, but that won’t stop you from being one of the first people out of the door. Once you do collect your luggage, no need to join the LONG line that has formed. You simply look for the sign that says Global Entry, and you walk up to that officer. No hassle! No lines! And you head to you next flight or head home.
Just a Little Heads up for those taking my advice and getting Global Entry (You will soon travel like a rock star!)…. but know:
- There is long wait for appointments: It could take a while to get it because of appointments fill up rather fast. After I applied, it took me a month before I could get an appointment at my nearest airport. But, if you are traveling through a city you can try to see if appointments are available at an earlier date.
- If you travel with others they can’t go through with you! If you travel with others that do not have Global Entry they cannot go through with you. So you can either go through alone and gather bags (as I have done before) or simply enjoy the long wait chatting with friends (while in your mind you secretly wish they could have just taken your advice and gotten Global Entry)
- Changing your passport could be a hassle! You have to revisit an officer if you get a new passport before your global entry expires (Try to add pages instead… though the price for new pages is similar to getting a new passport.) But it saves you the trouble of trying to get an appointment, and quite frankly looks cool to have a super FAT passport! 🙂
- You can be denied! Applying doesn’t mean you will get it, and they keep your $100 dollars. So be sure your history is squeaky clean and be realistic when applying! So that means no customs violations or criminal convictions etc. You must be a low risk traveler!
So now you know one of my Travel Secrets……Global Entry!! Travel like a VIP!
