As some of you know, I was in Madrid for a few days this week.
One of the worst parts, at least for me, of traveling internationally are the lines of people going through U.S. customs on the way back into the United States. There are times I've waited a couple hours to get through the lines. The problem is amplified when multiple international flights land at the same time and you are stuck waiting for the stroller to be taken off the plane and handed to you. It can be bad.
So before I went to Madrid, I enrolled and was approved for the Global Entry program.
How does it work? Well, you apply, they do a background check on you and within a few weeks they approve or deny you. I was approved but had to finalize the process by going to a Global Entry office to take a picture, do digital finger prints and sign a document. So I did that on the way out to Madrid at JFK. Yes, it takes only 10 minutes and you get the approval that day, so you can use it on the way back from your trip.
So I was approved and then went from Terminal 4 to Terminal 7 and left to Madrid.
You can't use it for customs outside of the U.S. (yes there are exceptions).
But on the way back, I departed the airplane at JFK, walked through the terminal and arrived at customs. I just went over to the kiosk, scanned my passport, took my picture and scanned by finger prints, then I checked off no, no, no, no and yes to the flight details and a receipt printed. I then walked to the exit, handed them the receipt and went to passenger pickup.
The process from walking off the plane and to the airport passenger pickup area in JFK, terminal 7, took me maybe 5 minutes.
I was in awe.
The global entry pass costs $100 every 5 years. Since I go internationally about twice a year, I feel it pays.