Global Entry is “Your Ticket to Get Out of Line…”

We all hate standing in a long line at Customs and Immigration when we’ve just completed a transatlantic flight and simply want to get home as quickly as possible.

Now U.S. Customs and Border Protection has come up with a program named Global Entry that allows travelers to bypass the line with an “express pass” that significantly expedites the process.

Anyone can apply—no minimum number of trips required—but you will have to fill out a comprehensive application, pay a one-time fee, and, if the application is accepted, undergo a background check and an in-person interview with a CBP officer. The process, you might say, is frontloaded.

But once you’ve been accepted, it will be clear sailing. You’ll present your machine-readable passport and fingerprints for verification at one of the automated customs kiosks available at 20 international airports throughout the country and answer declaration questions as prompted by the kiosk. If you have items to declare you will then be directed to a CBP officer. If not, you’re done.

Particularly for people who travel frequently on business, the time saved in the long run will more than repay the hours spent completing the application process.