What is the Best Trusted Traveller Program for You?
The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, in the USA has Trusted Traveller Programs that shorten your waiting times in airport and land border crossing security checks, by offering you a fast-track option. Should you comply with the general security requirements, you can choose which of the 5 programs best suits your travel needs. Other countries have followed suit and Canada has introduced its own program as well, which is included in the chart. (Other country’s Trusted Traveller programs are not included in this chart.)
Check out the benefits of each of the programs as well as their requirements to see which one suits you best. Take the first step to an improved travel experience for yourself and your family. Get to know DHS’s Trusted Traveller Programs in our handy comparison chart below.
| Program | TSA PreCheck | Global Entry | NEXUS | SENTRI | CANPASS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is Eligible? | U.S. Citizens and U.S. legal Permanent Residents. | U.S. Citizens and U.S. legal Permanent Residents; citizens of: Germany, the Netherlands, Panama, and South Korea; as well as Mexican nationals. | U.S. and Canadian Citizens and legal Permanent Residents. | International Visitors with Proof of Citizenship and Admissibility documentation. | Canadian Citizens and legal Permanent Residents. |
| Application Fee | USD$85 – 5 year membership | USD$100 – 5 year membership | USD$50 or CAD$50 – 5 year membership | USD$122.25 – 5 year membership |
|
| Passport Mandatory for the Application | No | Yes – or legal Permanent Resident Card. | No – but recommended. | No | Yes – or legal Permanent Resident Card. |
| Application Process | Pre-enroll online, visit an enrollment center, provide fingerprints, and verify ID. | Pre-enroll online, visit an enrollment center for an interview, provide fingerprints and verify ID. | Pre-enroll online, visit an enrollment center for an interview, provide fingerprints and verify ID. | Pre-enroll online, visit an enrollment center for an interview, provide fingerprints and verify ID. | Apply mail or in person, depending on the type of CANPASS you are applying for, and attend an interview to verify ID and provide fingerprints. |
| Program Benefits | TSA PreCheck expedited screening at participating airports. | Expedited processing through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at airports and land borders upon arrival in USA Includes TSA PreCheck at airports. |
Expedited processing at airports and land borders when entering US or Canada Includes Global Entry benefits TSA PreCheck benefits for US Citizens and lawful Permanent Residents. |
Expedited processing through CBP at land borders. | Depends on the type of CANPASS – the rules are different at each type of entry point, air, land and maritime. |
| Your Travel Type | I fly mostly inside the USA. | I fly inside the USA as well as Internationally. | I mostly travel between the USA and Canada. | I usually travel by land into the USA from Mexico. |
|
| Website | tsa.gov/tsa-precheck | cbp.gov/global-entry/about | cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus | cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/sentri | cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canpass/menu-eng.html |
| Administered by | Transportation Security Administration | Customs and Border Protection | Customs and Border Protection | Customs and Border Protection | Canada Border Services Agency |
Finally, remember that your CBP Trusted Traveller Card – whether Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI – cannot be used to gain access to the TSA PreCheck lane at airports. These cars are only used for their specific lanes at airports – Global Entry and NEXUS lanes – or, in the case of the SENTRI Card, only at land crossings. What you must have is your Known Traveller Number, KTN, which can be found in your Passenger Name Record, PNR. Make sure you are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck Program and that you have received your KTN in the mail after being approved. Always enter your provided KTN when booking a reservation with the participating airlines; whether online, through a phone reservation center, or through a travel agency. Your boarding pass will have your TSA PreCheck approval information encoded on it.
