US Global Entry: 23 Countries Whose Citizens Are Allowed Faster Immigration Clearance at Airports

• The United States Customs and Border Protection published the full list of 23 countries whose nationals can apply for the Global Entry trusted traveller programme
• The programme allows pre-approved travellers to bypass standard immigration queues and use automated kiosks upon arrival at US airports
• No African country made the list, meaning citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt must still go through standard immigration processing

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released the complete list of 23 countries whose citizens qualify for Global Entry, a trusted traveller programme that fast-tracks immigration clearance on arrival in the United States — and not a single African nation made the cut.

Global Entry allows pre-approved travellers to skip the standard immigration queue at US airports and instead use automated kiosks to complete their customs declaration and receive clearance.

For frequent international travellers, the difference can be significant, as general immigration lines at major US airports can run for several hours during peak periods.

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The 23 countries covered under US' Global Entry

The CBP says the programme operates through bilateral arrangements with partner countries.

The full list of qualifying nations includes

1. Argentina
2. Australia
3. Bahrain
4. Brazil
5. Canada
6. Colombia
7. Costa Rica
8. Croatia
9. Dominican Republic
10. El Salvador
11. Germany
12. India
13. Japan
14. Jordan,
15. Republic of Korea
16. Mexico
17. Netherlands
18. Panama
19. Singapore
20. Switzerland
21. Taiwan
22. United Arab Emirates
23. United Kingdom.

Canada's participation is facilitated through NEXUS, a separate trusted traveller scheme specifically designed for travel between the United States and Canada.

What the list means for African travellers

Citizens of African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt, remain outside the scope of any existing Global Entry arrangement.

Travellers holding passports from these nations are required to go through the standard CBP immigration process each time they arrive in the United States, regardless of how frequently they travel.

The absence of African countries from the list reflects the broader reality that no bilateral trusted traveller agreement currently exists between the United States and any nation on the continent.

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Until such arrangements are negotiated and formalised, African travellers will continue to experience longer processing times at US ports of entry compared to nationals from the 23 partner countries.

Source: YEN.com.gh