‘Global Entry’ Just Made It So Much Easier For Australians To Visit The USA

• The Global Entry program will soon be extended to Australian citizens.
• The program makes arrival into the US much quicker and easier for travellers.
• Applications are open to anyone, but there’s a stringent approval process.

What Is Global Entry and Why Does It Matter?

The days of standing in the immigration line at LAX or JFK are set to end for most Australians next year with the US preparing to extend its popular Global Entry program to local passport holders.

Enrolment in the Global Entry program allows pre-approved, low-risk travellers to use automated kiosks to speed up their processing times upon landing in the US. It spells the end of the immigration line gridlock that greets so many people arriving in the US. Well, the gridlock will still be there, but you won’t be in it.

Excluding the US, citizens of 15 countries are currently eligible to enrol in Global Entry. It has been on the cards for Australians for several years but faced delays caused by the pandemic and bureaucratic inertia. It wasn’t until the annual Australia–US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in August that officials from both countries finally signed off on the deal.

Initially, 1,000 Australians who travel regularly to the US (defined as at least five visits in the previous 12 months) will be eligible to enrol in a trial program due to get underway in January 2025. Enrolment will open to all other Australians, irrespective of how frequently you do or do not travel to the US, later in the year after the necessary legislation gets passed in Canberra. DMARGE hears the Australian Government is targeting mid-2025 to have the program open to everyone.

How Does Global Entry Compare to ESTA?

Why is Global Entry a big deal, given most Australians travelling to the US do so with an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) visa waiver? Holding an ESTA doesn’t entitle you to use the automated entry kiosks at US entry ports, and clearing those immigration lines can take hours at peak arrival times.

The arrivals process using Global Entry is similar (but not quite the same) to using smart gates at Australian airports. It’s quick and easy, and nobody asks you about the purpose of your visit or your hotel address. Enrolment lasts for five years.

Enrolment in Global Entry also sees you automatically enrolled in TSA PreCheck, which speeds up departure security screening at US airports, where there are usually dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes and generally no requirement to pull laptops out of bags or shoes off feet. After all, Uncle Sam has now deemed you a trusted traveller.

Who Is Eligible for Global Entry?

This begs the question: what constitutes a trusted traveller, or, more bluntly, who won’t get approved?

The US Customs Border and Protection agency details nine eligibility criteria, including age (you must be over 18 or have parental consent) and nationality (you must hold a passport from an eligible country). 

How to Apply for Global Entry

Enrolment involves paying a fee (currently USD120) and attending a formal interview, akin to rolling up to the nearest US consulate for a visa interview. You’ll be asked to make signed declarations about past behaviour and travel patterns. Overstaying your visa in Thailand in 2016 may cause problems, as may the smoko conviction from 2008. Being caught out lying will definitely void your application and jeopardise any future travel to the US.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and Department of Home Affairs will run background checks on behalf of the US. These checks will also likely incur a cost to the applicant. The US will decide on eligibility based on your interview and the data supplied by Canberra. For most Australians, eligibility won’t be a problem, and the process is not very different from applying to travel to the US for non-tourist purposes.

Credit Card Perks

Several credit card programs in the US cover the cost of Global Entry enrolment. While no Australian card issuers have yet said they will do the same, like travel insurance, lounge access, and concierge services, free enrolment may become part of the suite of perks attached to some local credit cards, making enrolment an even better proposition.

If you’ve got upcoming travel to the US scheduled before Global Entry becomes available and LAX immigration beckons, there is a free travel hack available to Australians that does not require interviews, provides many of the same perks as Global Entry, and can dramatically speed up the US arrivals process.

An Alternative: Mobile Passport Control (MPC)

Called Mobile Passport Control (MPC), Australians making a second (or more) trip to the US using ETSA can use the MPC app to pre-fill travel information and complete a digital customs declaration upon arrival. This generates a digital receipt, which you present to customs and border agents manning dedicated MPC entry lanes. 

While experiences will vary depending on the airport and your circumstances, you can generally expect to pass through passport control within minutes. While not available at all US airports, MPC is available at the main entry ports for Australians – LAX, San Francisco, New York, Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, Honolulu, and Vancouver.

If Global Entry is the Mercedes Benz of US entry programs, MPC is the Toyota Corolla: it’s less shiny but still gets you there.