What is the Global Entry Programme and how will it speed up entry into the US for UAE citizens?

Move comes following a visit by the UAE President to the White House this week

The move will expedite entry through busy US airports, allowing Emirati travellers to skip long queues. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

The UAE has been included in the Global Entry Programme after the Ministry of Interior signed a pact with the US Department of Homeland Security to add the Gulf country to the list of eligible member states.

Membership allows travellers quicker and easier entry through busy US airports, allowing them to skip long queues.

The National takes a look at what this move means for UAE citizens travelling to the US.

What is the Global Entry Programme?

Global Entry is a US government-run programme that expedites customs checks on arrival in the US for preapproved and low-risk travellers.

The programme, which screens the security background of applicants before travel, will allow members to immediately check in at a Global Entry kiosk at a US airport.

This will allow UAE citizens to avoid long queues and paperwork on arrival in the US as the process will be automated. All participants in the programme must still have a valid US visa to enter the country.

When does it start?

The membership for UAE citizens will take effect next month, as part of joint UAE-US efforts to enhance security relations and facilitate trade and travel between the two countries.

The move came during a visit by President Sheikh Mohamed to the US this week, where he held talks with US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as other business leaders.

The UAE and the US this week emphasised areas of collaboration, with a focus on business, climate, foreign policy and space exploration.

How does the application process work?

To qualify for the programme, applicants must create a Trusted Traveller Programs (TTP) account, pay a non-refundable application fee of $100 and schedule an interview.

Applicants who are conditionally approved can complete their interviews either on arrival in the US at an enrolment on arrival location or by scheduling an appointment at the nearest enrolment centre in their home country. The Global Entry programme website does not list a centre in the UAE.

Applicants must bring their valid passport and one other form of identification to the interview. The application-vetting process normally happens within two weeks after the submission of the application.

If an additional review of the application is needed after vetting, a manual review is undertaken, which could take between 12 and 24 months to complete.

Once accepted, the Global Entry membership will last five years.

At select US airports, at separate Global Entry lanes, members have their photo taken, which confirms their identity, before they briefly meet a customs and border patrol officer.

Who is eligible?

All Emirati citizens with a valid US visa can apply for the programme’s services.

The benefits include no processing lines, no paperwork, expedited entry into the US and reduced waiting times. The service is available at major US airports.

It also offers TSA pre-check eligibility, which expedites traveller screening through participating TSA security checkpoints.

Global Entry processing is available in more than 70 US and international airports, including Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport in Ireland, among others.

Which other countries are included in the programme?

The UAE is one of the latest countries to join the programme that is available to US citizens, permanent residents of the US and citizens of 15 other countries:

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Bahrain
• Dominican Republic
• India
• Colombia
• UK
• Germany
• The Netherlands
• Panama
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Mexico