CBP Opens Global Entry Kiosks at San Antonio International Airport

U.S. Customs and Border Protection unveiled Global Entry kiosks at the international arrivals area of the San Antonio International Airport on August 29, 2012.

International travelers enrolled in Global Entry who are returning to the United States through the San Antonio airport can bypass passport control lines to use CBP’s automated self-service kiosk. The kiosk features include a camera, touch-screen monitor, fingerprint scanner, document reader, and receipt printer. At the kiosk, Global Entry members activate the system by inserting their passports or U.S. permanent resident cards into a document reader. The kiosk directs travelers to provide digital fingerprints and compares that biometric data with the fingerprints on file. Global Entry travelers are also photographed and prompted to answer declaration questions on the kiosk’s touch screen. A transaction receipt is issued upon completion, which must be presented to CBP officers before leaving the inspection area.

Applications for enrollment are available through the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES). An applicant must complete and submit an online application through GOES and pay a non-refundable $100 fee. CBP will review the applicant’s information and a background investigation will be conducted. To finalize the process, the applicant will be interviewed by a CBP officer at an enrollment center, and have his or her fingerprints captured. Upon approval, membership is valid for five years.

Global Entry is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. legal permanent residents, and Mexican nationals. The program is also available to citizens of the Netherlands who are enrolled in the Dutch Privium program, and citizens of the Republic of Korea enrolled in the Korean SES program. Canadian citizens and residents enrolled in the NEXUS program may also use the Global Entry kiosks. U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are members of the CBP Trusted Traveler program, SENTRI, can also use the Global Entry kiosks.

The Global Entry program began as a pilot program at George Bush Intercontinental, John F. Kennedy International, and Washington Dulles International airports on June 6, 2008. It became a permanent voluntary program on February 6, 2012. As of August 24, 2012, more than 400,000 Global Entry members average about 5,000 kiosk uses per day.

Source: Announcement