If an US citizen wishes, he or she may volunteer to give up a lot more personal information than the laws require. In exchange, this citizen can zip through the custom without waiting. In other words, as a democratic country, Homeland Security found a way for citizen to let go their privacy, plus parting some of their money, for convenience. The process involves filling up a lengthy online form and an arranging an in-person interview at an international airport. With it, I flew through SFO in about 30 seconds. No wait, no questions.
As I walked past the custom I felt superior to those “regular” people who queued behind the line. I realized the cornerstone of this program is its scarcity; it works only when very few people use it. Had all of them signed up the program like I did, we all will be waiting behind the kiosk instead of the border guards. Is this a self-defeating program, that I am simply lucky to be an early adopter?
The obstacles for the mass is the application fees and the lengthy online form. There are people who do not travel enough to justify the extra costs and those who distrust the government with even with their employment and residence history. These barriers kept the subscribers low enough to be beneficial but high enough to justify the operational costs. It seems the government is finally smart enough.
When I arrived at the empty luggage carousel, I realized the joke is on me. The whole process is as fast as the slowest link. For international travelers, it is the luggage. I spent money and let go of my personal information for naught. The crowd that were in queue now picked up their luggage. I ended up nearly the last that exited the airport.
Global Entry does not work for crossing Canadian borders. For those, Nexus Card is the equivalent solution. The application went through the same web site. The second step is an in-person interview at one of the Nexus offices, most easily found at a border town airport such as Toronto. There is a third step of getting your iris scanned. I did it when I traveled to Canada the very next trip.
Nexus process requires you to carry the card when you are using it, but you will need it only when an officer requests it. Otherwise, you walk up to the kiosk, stare into a mirror to wait for your iris scan confirmation, get the receipt from the machine, and proceed to the exit. Unlike Global Entry, you still must fill out the custom declaration form.
Toronto airport is notorious for its long custom line. Forty-five minutes are the norm and 90 are common. With Nexus card, I zipped through in less than 1 minute.