What is the Best Trusted Traveller Program for You?

By Allard John K
Dec 18, 2020

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.)

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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	CAD$50 - Air CAD$40 -Boat CAD$40 - Corporate Aircraft CAD$40 - Private Plane CAD$30 - Remote Area Border Crossings
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.	I fly inside Canada as well as Internationally OR I own my own boat and I travel into Canada with it OR My company regularly charters a plane for travel within and outside of Canada or we own our own jet OR I own my own plane OR I own my own boat and live in a remote part of Canada near the US border.
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

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While your travel patterns may not fit neatly into the above categories, you can use the Your Travel Type row to decide which of the 5 options best describes your travel. Having done that, then you can see if the indicated Trusted Traveller Program provides you with benefits that are advantageous to you. In general, a Trusted Traveller Program will make your security clearance at an airport or land border a smoother and faster experience.

You should remember that these 5 programs never guarantee you a smooth crossing as TSA, CBP and CBSA officials retain the right to interview and detain you should they decide your circumstances warrant it. Anything that raises your risk as a traveller entering the USA or Canada may likely mean your membership will be revoked.

The travellers eligible for TSA PreCheck include:

U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) with a Known Traveller Number, KTN, also called a Trusted Traveller Number.
U.S. Citizens and LPRs who are members of the TSA PreCheck application program.
Members of the U.S. Armed Forces including: the US Coast Guard, Reserves, National Guard.
Department of Defense and Coast Guard civilian employees.
Following members of the Trusted Traveller Programs:
- All members of Global Entry.
- U.S. Citizens and LPR’s, and Canadian Citizens, who are all members of NEXUS.
- U.S. Citizens and LPR’s who are members of SENTRI.

Remember, however, that your eligibility for TSA PreCheck will be determined on a flight-by-flight basis depending on a risk analysis of your passenger data.

The following airlines participate in TSA PreCheck:

Air Canada	Alaska Airlines	American Airlines
Delta Airlines	Hawaiian Airlines	JetBlue Airways
Southwest Airlines	Sun Country Airlines	United Airlines
US Airways	Virgin America

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.

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