brau, is that the same as the little card we got with our Global Entry? I have never used it, though we will use it in May when we take off in the bus. I wonder if it will help speed us up, though, since we'll have a mix of folks with us, none of whom probably have the cards.
No, alas I have sad news for you. We made the same mistake, so I'm happy to set you straight.
Like you, we signed up for Global Entry, and it worked beautifully. We put our trusted traveler numbers in when making airline reservations and got into the good lines. But the Global Entry program is only designed for those entering the USA from other countries. Sure, it also puts you in the trusted traveler program so you can get the pre-check certification on your boarding pass, but that's it. Incidentally, the card is meaningless -- you'll never use it. Trusted traveler pre-check is keyed off your number that you give the airline. When you use a Global Entry kiosk coming into a USA airport, you just use your passport.
The other program, NEXUS, is designed strictly for travel between the US and Canada. The NEXUS card (looks very similar to the Global Entry card) is actually useful, and is what you use at border crossings.
After going through the Global Entry routine, we found out about the NEXUS program, so we signed up for that, too. Not a big deal, very similar, but since it's a joint US-Canada program you have to do the interview at a designated border facility, which is why we went to Detroit.
NEXUS is great, because:
a. it costs just $50 for five years, instead of $100 for Global Entry.
b. it still lets you use the Global Entry kiosks and be a trusted traveler.
c. it greatly speeds up your border crossings into/out of Canada.
When you get your NEXUS card in the mail (after your interview), you activate it online just like the Global Entry card, and that automatically deactivates your Global Entry card, which they tell you to shred.
So I would say that any USA citizen who even occasionally travels to Canada should forget about the Global Entry program and just sign up for NEXUS. It costs just half as much, gives you the exact same privileges, and seriously smooths your Canadian border crossings.
The big difference, of course, is that you have to do the personal interview at a designated border crossing instead of the large number of USA facilities that do the Global Entry interviews.
Also, since NEXUS is a joint program, there is one additional requirement that Canada imposes for airport use. You have to get an iris scan, in addition to the standard fingerprinting. Not a big deal.
Of course, all this is just for your information. In your case, it won't make any difference, since everyone in a group must be enrolled in NEXUS in order to use it. I'm afraid that unless all your folks are enrolled, you'll be stuck in the slow lane.
Any other questions? I'd be happy to provide detail.
NEXUS | U.S. Customs and Border Protection
