Summary
- Global Entry has launched a new mobile app allowing travelers to take a selfie to verify their identity, eliminating the need to wait in line.
- The app is currently available at seven major international airports and will be expanded to more airports based on its performance.
- Global Entry is a trusted traveler program that offers expedited entry into the US. Processing times for new applications have been longer than expected.
The Global Entry trusted traveler programme has launched a new mobile app that lets travelers take a selfie instead of waiting in line to use a portal. The app will be available at seven leading international airports before a later expansion.
Global Entry’s new app is now live
The US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Global Entry program has launched the Global Entry Mobile App at seven airports:
- Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
Photo: CBP
As of September 19th, the app will be available free from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for over 12 million Global Entry members, promising to enhance the passenger experience for trusted travelers arriving in the US. Following its initial rollout at the seven aforementioned airports, the CBP will evaluate the app’s performance before expanding to other airports.
How exactly does it work?
The app will allow arriving travelers to verify their identity by taking a selfie on their phones – this photo will then be cross-referenced to a photo gallery and verified through facial biometrics. Global Entry members currently must proceed to a Global Entry lane and use a kiosk – this will capture their photograph before they continue to a CBP officer who will confirm their identity. With the app, members will no longer need to visit the portal to get their photo taken – once you take the selfie, you will receive a receipt which can be shown directly to a CBP officer.
The CBP’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller commented,
“The new Global Entry mobile application leverages the latest technologies, in order to enhance security while further improving the travel experience for CBP’s trusted travelers.”
About Global Entry
Global Entry is one of several trusted travelers programmes at the CBP, joined by the likes of TSA PreCheck, NEXUS and the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI). The program is not just available for US citizens – over a dozen other countries, including the UK, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany and India, can also apply for Global Entry.
Photo: Evgenia Parajanian / Shutterstock
Applicants must undergo background checks and an interview at an enrollment center to join the program, which now numbers over 12 million members. However, the program is proving more popular than anticipated, leading to lengthy processing times – according to a Wall Street Journal report, new Global Entry applications are taking an average of four to six months to process, with some waiting over a year to gain membership.
Are you a member of the US Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program? Do you think the program is worth signing up to? Let us know your experiences in the comments.
Source: Wall Street Journal