Passport bypass program now at seven points of entry

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service said it has completed its planned expansion of the new “Global Entry” trusted traveler program to four more international airports – Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and Miami International. The program was already in place at New York JFK, Houston Bush Intercontinental and Washington Dulles, although CPB said the recent expansion also included additional terminals at JFK. Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the program lets registered participants skip the passport control line when returning to the U.S. and instead access automated kiosks using their passport or permanent resident card. Their identity will be verified by a digital fingerprint reader, and they can answer declaration questions on the touch-screen, printing out a receipt to hand to CBP officers as they exit the area. CBP said that so far, some 4,000 persons have enrolled in the Global Entry plan, and 1,700 have used the kiosks at the program’s pilot locations. The program requires advance enrollment and pre-screening, along with payment of a $100 fee for a five-year membership. For details on joining, go to www.GlobalEntry.com.