Customs ‘Global Entry’ to be offered in St. Thomas Oct. 14
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Tuesday the availability of the mobile Global Entry enrollment center at the Cyril E. King Airport on Oct. 14.
The event will be held at the CBP Airport Security Office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the agency informed.
U.S. Virgin Island residents and visitors are invited to take advantage of this convenient opportunity to join Global Entry without having to travel for the enrollment interview.
Global Entry is CBP program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports.
At these airports, program members proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint verification and complete a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit.
Travelers must be pre-approved for the Global Entry program. All applicants undergo a rigorous background check and in-person interview before enrollment.
Registered members also enjoy TSA Pre-Check benefits. This means they can also speed through TSA security on all participating airports, using a designated fast lane without having to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and light jackets.
Once approved, the membership lasts five years at which time participants must renew it. Applications should be submitted online at www.globalentry.gov. The vetting process takes 2-3 weeks so those who wish to participate on the special event in St. Thomas are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible but no later than Sept. 30,2016.
Enrollment at the Cyril E. King Airport will be offered only to participants that have met the following requirements:
- Applied for Global Entry online and paid the application fee.
- Received a conditional approval prior to the start of the event.
- Have registered for the event by calling CBP at 787-457-5323/787-729-6982
- X-4268 and provided their name, date of birth, PASS ID and phone number.
Once registered participants will be contacted by CBP to schedule the interview time at the mobile enrollment event, the agency said.