Fast-lane entry by passport
Pick your passport and where you land. You see the automatic gates, trusted-traveller schemes and arrival apps you can use, what they cost, and which are worth joining before you go.
A fast lane is a way to spend less time at immigration, not a way around entry rules: you still need any visa, ETA or ESTA. For that, see the entry check.
4 ways to speed up arrival
Global Entry
Open to your passportMembership (apply first)
Skip the immigration line at the airport: scan your passport and fingerprints at a kiosk, answer a couple of questions and go. Membership also includes TSA PreCheck for US departures.
- Who
- US citizens and lawful permanent residents, plus citizens of a short list of partner countries. Canadians use NEXUS instead. Membership rules and the partner list change: read the CBP page for your country.
- Cost
- US$120 for 5 years (check)
- How to get it
- Apply online, pay the fee, then attend an in-person interview at an enrolment centre or on arrival at an enrolment-on-arrival airport. Official site
Source: US CBP: Global Entry, checked 30 Sep 2026check
NEXUS
Open to your passportMembership (apply first)
Dedicated lanes at US and Canadian border crossings and airports, Global Entry kiosks in the US, and TSA PreCheck. One card for both countries.
- Who
- Citizens and lawful permanent residents of the US and Canada.
- Cost
- US$50 for 5 years (check)
- How to get it
- Apply through the Trusted Traveler Programs website and interview at a joint US-Canada enrolment centre. Official site
Source: US CBP: NEXUS, checked 30 Sep 2026check
Mobile Passport Control (MPC)
Open to your passportFree app or online form
A free CBP-approved app: fill in your arrival details on your phone, submit on landing and use the MPC lane at participating airports. No membership or interview.
- Who
- US citizens and lawful permanent residents, and Canadian visitors. CBP has widened eligibility to some Visa Waiver Program travellers over time: confirm your passport on the CBP page before you rely on it.
- Cost
- Free
- How to get it
- Download the official app from your phone's app store (only the CBP-approved one) and submit once you have landed and have data or wifi. Official site
Source: US CBP: Mobile Passport Control, checked 30 Sep 2026check
US preclearance abroad
Open to your passportPreclearance
On a flight to the US from a preclearance airport you clear US immigration, customs and agriculture before you board and land as a domestic passenger, with no border queue at the US end. You still need your visa or ESTA.
- Who
- Every passport that is allowed into the US. Airports: Dublin and Shannon (Ireland), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Aruba, Nassau and Freeport (Bahamas), Bermuda, and Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg (Canada). Check the list for changes.
- Cost
- Free
- How to get it
- Nothing to book: allow extra time at the departure airport for the US checks, which come before the gate. Official site
Source: US CBP: Preclearance, checked 30 Sep 2026check
Worth joining at home
Memberships open to your passport that speed up arrivals in more than one country. They need an application and often an interview, so start weeks ahead.
- Global Entry: US$120 for 5 years (check)checkOfficial site
- NEXUS: US$50 for 5 years (check)checkOfficial site
- APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC): Varies by economy: US fee about US$70 (check)checkOfficial site