The U.S. Travel Association applauded the announcement that the U.S. and South Korea are partnering to link trusted traveler programs as part of Global Entry, a program designed to expedite the entry process for trusted travelers.
“Global Entry increases security while at the same time reduces hassle for frequent travelers coming to the U.S.,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “Integrating our biometric trusted traveler programs with South Korea makes good sense, and more countries should be considered for the program.”
Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) travel facilitation program allowing pre-approved members an alternative to regular passport processing lines that reduces average wait times by 70 percent. More than 75 percent of travelers using Global Entry are processed in less than five minutes, according to CBP.
At Global Entry kiosks, members insert their passport or lawful permanent resident card into a document reader, provide digital fingerprints for comparison with fingerprints on file, answer customs declaration questions on the kiosk’s touch-screen and then present a transaction receipt to CBP officers before leaving the inspection area.
Global Entry is currently available at 20 major airports in the U.S. for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents over 14 years of age who are in possession of a valid machine-readable passport and who consent to a background screening.
U.S. Travel reports it has played a crucial role in advocating for the Global Entry program, including the original legislation authorizing the program in 2007, obtaining start-up funding for operations in 2008 and encouraging expansion of the program to additional locations and to qualified foreign visitors.
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