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United States of America has started rolling out for Indian citizens its Global Entry programme which allows for expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travellers. Navtej Sarna, Indian Ambassador to the US, became the first Indian national to enroll in the programme.
Global Entry programme
- Under Global Entry programme Travellers must be pre-approved for the initiative.
- As per the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website, all applicants undergo a rigorous background check and in-person interview before enrolment.
- With this intiative, India has become the 11th country whose citizens are eligible to enroll in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiative.
- As per the initiative, once a traveller lands at one of the select airports, the programme members enter US through automatic kiosks, rather than queueing up to clear the immigration check by meeting an immigration officer.
- At these select airports, the specified members proceed to the Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport, place their fingerprints on the scanner for verification and complete a customs declaration.
- The Global Entry kiosk then issues the traveller a transaction receipt and directs him or her to the baggage claim and the exit.
Other Nations
Global Entry programme is available at 53 US airports and 15 pre-clearance locations. It is now available to US citizens, Green Card holders and nationals from Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, besides India. Canadian citizens and residents enrolled in NEXUS may also use the Global Entry kiosks. NEXUS programme allows pre-screened travellers expedited processing when entering the United States and Canada.
Source : The Indian Express
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