Indians will soon have access to Global Entry. Further to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting this week, President Trump welcomed India’s formal entry into the International Expedited Traveller Initiative (Global Entry Program) in order to facilitate closer business and educational ties between Indian citizens and the United States.
Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travellers upon arrival in the United States.
There were reports of India creating a list of 2,000 people who should be eligible for Global Entry, who they can vouch for personally (presumably politicians, celebrities, etc.), but post PM Modi’s meeting with U.S. President Trump, Global Entry is accessibly for all Indian passport holders now.
Travellers can complete their immigration process through automatic kiosks at the airport upon arrival. They need to present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint verification and complete a customs declaration. The kiosk issues each traveller a transaction receipt and directs him/her to the baggage claim and exit. This not only reduces the time spent waiting in queues, but makes the travel experience smoother.
To become eligible for Global Entry, it’s mandatory for Indian Nationals to complete a pre-registration process and clear an interview. While the implementation of the program may take a while, it is great news for Indian travellers who travel to the United States frequently.
