US Citizens & Lawful Permanent Residents can now cut down on the time spent trying to clear immigration and customs stations at certain airports. The Global Entry Program, sponsored by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), allows pre-approved citizen and LPR travelers who have undergone background checks to use automated kiosks with fingerprint scanners and designated expedited exit lanes.

The Global Entry program is currently in use at JFK Airport in New York (NY), George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas (TX), Washington Dulles International Airport (DC), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia (GA),  Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida (FL) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (IL).

To apply, the US citizen or permanent resident should go to the Global Entry site and fill out the online application form. After the application is processed, the applicant will be scheduled for an interview at a Global Entry Enrollment Center. The non-refundable application fee is $100.

The program will be expanded to the following additional airports by the end of 2009: Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey (NJ), Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii (HI), San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California (CA), Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida (FL), Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport in Texas (TX), Detroit Metro Wayne Country Airport in Michigan (MI), Boston-Logan International Airport in Massachusetts (MA), Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in Nevada (NV), Sanford-Orlando International Airport in Florida (FL), Seattle Tacoma International Airport in Washington (WA), Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania (PA), San Juan -Luis Munos Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico (PR) and Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Florida (FL).