U.S., U.K. Border Agencies Agree to Expedite Travel Between Nations
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has signed a joint agreement with the government of the United Kingdom to develop a bilateral pilot program to facilitate travel between the two nations. The International Expedited Traveler Initiative will integrate CBP’s Global Entry program with the British registered traveler program.
CBP announced the Global Entry pilot program April 11 to build upon other CBP trusted traveler programs, such as NEXUS and SENTRI, designed to facilitate and expedite the entry process for pre-registered low-risk international travelers into the U.S. NEXUS is a joint program with the Canada Border Services Agency that allows expedited processing into the U.S. and Canada at the land border and at Canadian pre-clearance airports. SENTRI provides for dedicated processing at the U.S.-Mexico land border.
The Global Entry pilot kicked off for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents on June 6 at three airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas; and Washington Dulles International Airport. CBP began accepting online applications on May 12. CBP expects that citizens of the United Kingdom will be invited to apply as soon as late this year. CBP signed a similar agreement with the government of the Netherlands on May 19.
