A super useful program that I wish I had known about earlier. Ever since I found out, I have been encouraging everyone to apply. Writing about the complete experience will hopefully motivate more people to enroll and benefit from it.
DISCLAIMER: This is based on my personal experience in 2022 and is mostly relevant for Indians who do not have a Green Card yet. By no means can it be used as the source of truth. Processes can vary by citizenship, visa status, and a variety of other factors. Always check the program website for up to date information.
What is the Global Entry Program?
Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
That means – If you have been pre-approved as a Global Entry participant, you need not wait in the immigration queue for hours when you enter the United States from another country.
Is it really useful?
YES!!! That feeling of happily walking past 100s of people waiting to get through the immigration is indescribable!! Moreover, it also comes with TSA PreCheck (as of this writing) which means you can get through airport security checks significantly faster without taking out your laptops and using 4 bins! That also means you can come late to the airport and not freak out about getting delayed by security line.
What do you need to apply?
It is mostly (not completely) an online application. All you need is to have your details ready to fill up what feels like the world’s longest form. But hey, it’s at least not forgetting your existence as you are typing the details (you know what I am referring to). Here’s what you need to keep handy:
- Your horoscope (pretty much)
- Passport
- Addresses lived
- Travel history
- LinkedIn profile for education and employment history
- Anything else you can think of
- $100 (at the time of writing) for the enrolment fee
- A little bit of luck, and a LOT of patience!!
How do you get it?
- Submit online application
- Go to the Trusted Traveler Program website (here) and select Global Entry.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to get through login.gov
- Start a new application and fill out all the pages
- Submit the application by paying the enrollment fee
- Initiate Background Verification in India
- Once you submit the application, you will get an email from India’s Passport Seva system detailing the steps to initiate a background verification there.
- The instructions are pretty self explanatory. You can either do it in India at a Passport Seva Kendra, or in the USA at a VFS location.
- Both of these have the same effect, so you can do either one.
- This initiates a police verification and someone will visit your home in India to ensure thats the correct address. You do not have to be present, but someone at home will need to confirm who you are and how you are related to them.
- Wait for conditional approval
- Just like many other applications, this includes a waiting game as well.
- It can take anywhere between a few days to a few months to get conditional approval.
- Attend in-person interview
- Once you get the conditional approval, you will have to complete an interview in-person.
- It is not an interview as such. An officer will verify your details and explain the perks and constraints of the program.
- This can either be “Enrolment on arrival”, which happens on your next international arrival.
- Or, it can be an interview scheduled via this link.
- If any of your details changed from the time to applied (eg. address), you can request the officer to update them.
- Done!!
- Once the interview is complete, you will get the full approval email. It is valid for about 5 years from this date. Check the email for the exact validity.
- After that, you can use the enrolment number as the Known Traveler Number (KTN) with airlines to earn the TSA Pre-check badge on the boarding pass.
- You can use the Global Entry lane, if it is open, when you return after your next international trip.
I have heard that citizens and permanent residents do not have the India background verification step which shortens the waiting time significantly. I guess that is only fair as they have already endured the permanent residency process.
Alright, that’s pretty much it. Now, go spend a few hours to complete the application and enjoy 5 years of spending less time at the airport!! 🥳🥳
