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For $100 and a copy of your fingerprints, U.S. citizens flying from abroad into O’Hare International Airport can skip passport-checking lines and proceed almost directly to baggage claim.
The Global Entry program, unveiled at O’Hare last month by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is designed to let travelers get through the airport faster but also affords a key benefit for the Department of Homeland Security: It makes it easier to track who is coming into the country.
Global Entry has been rolled out this year at seven of the nation’s busiest airports. The number will be expanded to 20 within the next year. The nearly 5,000 people who have enrolled nationally are able to pass through security at automated kiosks instead of standing in sometimes painfully long lines to have their passports stamped. The process at the kiosk takes about a minute and involves having your photo taken, letting both index fingers be read on a scanner and answering a few questions on a computer screen. Passports are not stamped for people in Global Entry, and customs declarations are done on the kiosk screen.
“The goal is obviously to make things faster,” said David Murphy, director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Chicago.
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Only travelers deemed “low risk” are eligible, he said, and must undergo background checks. Any criminal conviction—even misdemeanors—is grounds for rejection. The $100 fee is good for five years.
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In the first month of the program at O’Hare, more than 50 people have used the kiosks stamped with the Department of Homeland Security logo. Officials expect the number to increase dramatically, particularly among business travelers.
