Global Entry (USA)

I have decided to apply for Global Entry.

Global Entry is an expedited USA admissions scheme for (what they consider to be) trusted travelers (sic). In short, you apply, obtain a "conditional approval", have an interview with an immigration official, and, if approved, can, on future visits, use automated kiosks to gain entry to the USA rather than waiting in line for an official every time, where the landing airport offers them. UK passport holders are eligible to apply. Approvals last 5 years after which you need to renew.

Along with the easier entry, it comes with TSA PreCheck which in airports with this provision, allows expedited departure screening, with much reduced need for eg removal of shoes, unpacking of laptops and so on.

More detail:
The steps involved are
1) Online - Obtain UK government "permission" to apply. This costs £42. Mine was approved the next day. A reference number is provided.
2) Online - Apply to the US government for entry to the Global Entry program. This costs USD100 at the time of writing. You need the above reference number to proceed.
3) Await "Conditional Approval". Despite some horror stories online of long delays, mine was conditionally approved in two days.
4) Have an in-person interview with a US border official. You can schedule an appointment for this once you have your conditional approval. Most locations are at US airports, but the two international airports in Eire are also centres, so if you want to get it done BEFORE your next USA trip and/or want an excuse to visit Dublin or Shannon, you may be able to complete this process there before actually going to the USA. Appointments at all locations are fairly well booked up so you may have to wait some time before getting one. (At the moment, there are NO appointment slots at Orlando, and the earliest in Miami is October). Alternatively, certain US airports also have Approval on Arrival - meaning that, when you hit immigration, rather than joining the main queues, you join a special queue for your in-person interview.
5) Assuming you are approved at your interview, at some point afterwards, you can then add your reference number to any airline bookings such that your boarding cards are marked with the TSA PreCheck indicator allowing access to expedited departure screening, and can, on future visits, skip the entry screening and use the machines instead.

At the moment, I have my conditional approval and my appointment scheduled, but I intend to try the arrival screening when I get there in November. The appointment is a backup in case on arrival doesn't work out. I'll write more once those steps are complete.

It's primarily aimed at frequent travellers, but at a total cost of under GBP130 over 5 years (UK and US fees), it seems to me to be worthwhile even for, say, an annual trip. Anything that eases the business of transiting airports has to be a good thing - right?
 
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We arrived at Miami Int. yesterday. There was no separate line for GE approvals. The person directing the queue told us to wait in the regular non-resident line and to tell our TSA officer that we wanted to complete our GE approvals.

That officer directed us to another officer who took us to an adjacent waiting room. There was one officer inside processing, and one person already waiting. I guess were about 15 minutes before we were seen. The interview was utterly painless; 10 minutes at the most. Photos and fingerprints taken. And we were on our way to baggage collection. About an hour later we received Email confirmation of our approved applications.

So, we should be totally good the "skip the line" on our next visit. And good for expedited security when we leave in three weeks.
 
The expedited exit security (aka TSA PreCheck) which comes with GE was printed on our boarding cards and the security line for TSA precheck at MIA at ~1800 on 21 Dec was practically non-existent. Laptop and carry-on liquids left inside bag; no removal of metals from my person (except my mobile phone) and shoes stayed on. Going through screening was virtually painless. Far better than the usual affair.

Now, all I have to do is go again and see how the Entry part of it works out. It's all good so far.
 
Can you get Global Entry if you live in the UK but carry an Irish passport? Is it only for UK citizens? I've often looked on enviously at work colleagues with GE as I waited in the queue at Atlanta airport. I used to do 4-5 trips a year to the US so GE would easily be worth it. I had assumed it was only available to UK passport holders.
 
Eire is not on the list. I suspect that may be because if you fly out of Eire directly, all the US formalities are completed on departure, and flights arrive at domestic terminals (i.e. with no CPB checks).
 
Yeah, that's what I thought. Living in the UK I don't get the benefit of pre-clearance unless flying through Dublin / Shannon. I could always get a British passport :eek::eek::eek:
 
Sounds interesting. My daughter is back and forth a lot now (currently still in New York, last few days of her New Year trip). But in all honesty, I'm a bit confused with regard to how many times she can visit/number of days etc. I don't think there is a limit on number of trips, but they tend to be capped at around 90 days a trip... I think :D
 
I think that's the case with the visa, it usually 90 days, unless you get a green card and become a citizen. Its the same now with the EU, loads of UKex-pats have to come back from Spain every 90 days...or something like that, in order to "live" over there. My parents have a house in Spain and don't have that issue as they're Irish, so EU citizens.
 
Sounds interesting. My daughter is back and forth a lot now (currently still in New York, last few days of her New Year trip). But in all honesty, I'm a bit confused with regard to how many times she can visit/number of days etc. I don't think there is a limit on number of trips, but they tend to be capped at around 90 days a trip... I think :D

The general rule is the same number of days out as you spend in. So if you spend 89 days in you should spend 89 days out. No more than 180 days a year

If you start doing 90 days in , 3 days out then attempt to come back in the Immigration Officer may suspect that you're actually living (or even worse working) without a proper visa

If that happens then the least worse is a lot of questions (standby for even more the next time you enter) but the worst is they refuse to let you in.

Once entry has been refused then you're applying for actual Type B Tourist Visas from then on
 
Indeed. Having Global Entry does NOT absolve you from the remaining immigration restrictions. It simply avoids the each-time entry interview (and associated queue) and offers simplified security screening whenever you go "airside" in the USA.

As I understand it, there is no actual written rule about how many visits you can make without a visa (eg using Visa Waiver/ESTA) nor how long must elapse between departure from the US and re-entry; only the duration of each visit (90 days under Visa Waiver). But it may well be true that frequent short departures from the USA followed by longer re-entries may attract attention and at the very least solicit questions being asked. Note that brief exits to either Canada or Mexico do not trigger a new 90 day period on re-entry.
 
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Almost a year later (and longer than I expected) we have just arrived in the USA. Immigration at MIA was an absolute breeze. Follow directions to Global Entry (avoiding the huge queue of other folk). Stand in front of terminal (without glasses on). Look at camera. Terminal reported "processing complete". We then had to queue briefly to see an officer who called us by name, Barely looked at the passport and said "welcome back". Done and on to baggage claim.
 
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