U.S. Customs to Pilot International Registered Traveler Program

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will launch a pilot program this summer that uses biometric fingerprint technology to expedite the screening and processing of low-risk, frequent international "trusted" travelers entering the U.S.

The Global Entry pilot program will be available for U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are frequent international travelers, provided they have not been found guilty of a criminal offense, charged with a customs or immigration offense, or declared inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration legislation. Biometric fingerprints will be used to verify the passenger's identity and status.

The pilot will be conducted initially at New York Kennedy, Houston Bush, and Washington Dulles airports, starting June 10.  Public applications will begin to be processed on May 12.

When returning from international travel, enrolled travelers may bypass the regular passport control line and proceed directly to a Global Entry kiosk and insert their passport or U.S. permanent resident card into the document reader. The kiosk will direct the traveler to electronically provide his or her fingerprints and will compare that biometric data with the fingerprint biometrics on file. A digital photograph will also be taken of the traveler as part of the transaction record. Finally, the traveler will be prompted to answer several CBP declaration questions posted on the kiosk's touch-screen. Once the process is successfully completed, the traveler will be issued a transaction receipt which must be presented to the CBP officer as the participant leaves the CBP inspection area.  04-18-2008.

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