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Attention, Travelers: The Cost of Global Entry Is Increasing Next Week
By Adam Hardy MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
The higher fees are not intended to result in faster application processing times.
Want the coveted “trusted traveler” status that allows you to zip through airport and border security? Soon, it’ll cost you much more to apply.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, is hiking application fees for several of its trusted traveler programs for the first time in 15 years. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 1, applications for Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI will all require an upfront $120 fee.
“The original fees for each of the three programs are no longer sufficient to recover CBP’s costs to administer the programs,” wrote Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, in the final rule published in April.
These three particular expedited-clearance programs are for qualifying U.S. citizens, residents and nationals who are re-entering the country by land, sea and/or air — as opposed to TSA PreCheck, which is solely for air travel originating from the U.S.
The new rule has been in the works since 2020. While it doesn’t directly affect the price of TSA PreCheck, the three CBP programs slated for the price hike include complimentary TSA PreCheck benefits for qualifying travelers, which may result in an indirect price hike for folks looking to bundle benefits.
On the other hand, the new price structure could reduce costs for some families, as it waives application fees for minors whose parents have already applied.
Why ‘trusted traveler’ fees are going up
Before the rule change, the trusted traveler initiatives charged different amounts, and the SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) program actually had several fees throughout the lengthy approval process.
According to CBP, when the programs first started, each one was run individually — but as they expanded, the application process was largely streamlined. Now, the agency says it wants to “harmonize” the fee structure, too.
What that means for globetrotters is that the application fees are rising notably for Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI. Here’s a closer look at the programs and their fees.
- Global Entry: Price is rising from $100 to $120. Includes TSA PreCheck. Allows expedited security clearance for land, sea and air entry into the U.S. Application processing time may take up to six months. Membership lasts five years.
- NEXUS: Formerly $50. May include TSA PreCheck for qualifying applicants. A Canadian-U.S. program, it allows expedited clearance via land, sea and air (including pedestrian entry) to or from Canada. Application processing time may take up to 14 months. Membership lasts five years.
- SENTRI: Had a complex fee structure that totaled $122.25. An application fee, an FBI fingerprinting fee and a service fee were charged separately to reach the grand total. Starting in October, $120 will be due upfront. Benefits largely mirror NEXUS but exclude sea travel and include Mexico. Application processing time may take up to 12 months. Membership lasts five years.
Given the new fee structure, it will cost $20 more to apply to Global Entry. For Nexus, fees will increase by $70. To simply apply, the fee for the SENTRI program will increase $95 — but the cost of the entire approval process will decrease by $2.25.
Of course, applying does not guarantee approval. Applicants must pass a rigorous background check — being screened against terrorist and criminal databases — and then clear an in-person interview. (For renewing members, the CBP recently started allowing remote video interviews.) The good news is that several travel rewards credit cards told Money that they are increasing their reimbursement benefits to cover the cost of the new fees.
However, don’t expect faster service. The higher fees are not intended to result in faster application processing times, CBP said.
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Adam Hardy is Money's lead data journalist. He writes news and feature stories aimed at helping everyday people manage their finances. He joined Money full-time in 2021 but has covered personal finance and economic topics since 2018. Previously, he worked for Forbes Advisor, The Penny Hoarder and Creative Loafing. In addition to those outlets, Adam’s work has been featured in a variety of local, national and international publications, including the Asia Times, Business Insider, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Yahoo! Finance, Nasdaq and several others. Adam graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida, where he studied magazine journalism and sociology. As a first-generation college graduate from a low-income, single-parent household, Adam understands firsthand the financial barriers that plague low-income Americans. His reporting aims to illuminate these issues. Since joining Money, Adam has already written over 300 articles, including a cover story on financial surveillance, a profile of Director Rohit Chopra of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and an investigation into flexible spending accounts, which found that workers forfeit billions of dollars annually through the workplace plans. He has also led data analysis on some of Money’s marquee rankings, including Best Places to Live, Best Places to Travel and Best Hospitals. He regularly contributes data reporting for Best Colleges, Best Banks and other lists as well. Adam also holds a multimedia storytelling certificate from Poynter’s News University and a data journalism certificate from the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) at the University of Missouri. In 2017, he received an English teaching certification from the University of Cambridge, which he utilized during his time in Seoul, South Korea. There, he taught students of all ages, from 5 to 65, and worked with North Korean refugees who were resettling in the area. Now, Adam lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, with his pup Bambi. He is a card-carrying shuffleboard club member.