United Kingdom Joins Global Entry

The U.K. is the seventh country to join the Global Entry Program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced. Starting Dec. 3, Global Entry participants going in and out of the U.K. will be able to take advantage of expedited clearance at customs and security.

U.K. citizens wanting to join can apply for the membership, which lasts five years, and then pay the application cost of £42 within the U.K.. They are then interviewed by a Customs and Border Patrol Agent before being approved for the program. The U.K. is joining Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Panama, Germany, and the Netherlands as the other countries—aside from the U.S.—who participate in the program.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske told Bloomberg that the news “will enhance security and better facilitate travel between our two countries.” Five million U.K. citizens traveled to the U.S. in 2015, with 125,000 coming more than once, according to CBP.

— Daniel McCarthy

Pic: dannyman