How Swiss travelers to the USA benefit from Global Entry

«My visit to the consulate in Zurich took just a few minutes», reports B.I. (56), who wishes to remain anonymous. He often travels to the US. With his next trip planned for Christmas. It’s always very busy at that time, and passport control can be slow.

That's why B.I. registered for the Global Entry program, launched by in 2008 and which has been available in Switzerland since 2017. The program is designed to make it easier for «trusted travelers» to enter the US. Membership in the program is valid for five years and can be renewed, but a security check is required in advance.

The catch: a personal interview with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials is mandatory for admission to Global Entry and must be conducted on U.S. soil. However, due to delayed flight arrivals, many interested parties miss the scheduled appointments. Unannounced interviews are sometimes possible but limited, with only a few conducted per day. B.I. anticipated that he wouldn’t be able to get an interview when he arrived in the U.S. during the busy Christmas period.

Will interviews soon be possible regularly in Switzerland?

That’s why the banking professional is pleased he was able to attend the interview in Zurich. Interviews were available in Switzerland from August 5 to 16, both at the U.S. Consulate in Zurich and the U.S. Embassy in Bern, with CBP officers traveling to Switzerland specifically for this purpose.

This is due to a large backlog of Swiss applications for Global Entry. For this reason, CBP interviews were also held in Zurich, Bern and Geneva in 2017. CBP is now considering offering regular interviews on European soil – interviews were also held in Italy in August.

B.I. says: «A permanent option for interviews would certainly be attractive». Now that he has completed the Global Entry admission process, he will be able to complete the entry formalities at a kiosk himself at Christmas, without needing assistance from immigration officers. At these kiosks, travelers scan their passports, provide their fingerprints and fill out a customs declaration.

According to CBP, around 4,000 people from Switzerland are currently members of the Global Entry program. During the five-day event in Zurich and Bern, a further 500 Swiss nationals registered. «CBP is open to further mobile registration events with partner countries like Switzerland», says a spokeswoman. This means that a permanent interview opportunity in Switzerland is not planned, but additional events like the one in August are expected.

This is how you are accepted into Global Entry

Those interested can register online for Global Entry. Note: an initial check by the Federal Police is required. Cost: CHF 100. Applicants need a Swiss extract from the criminal records register, which can be ordered from the Federal Office of Justice, along with a declaration of consent for the Federal Police to check police information systems and forward personal data to U.S. authorities. A digital copy of the applicant’s passport is also required.

Once these formalities have been completed, the application will be checked by CBP. The fee is 100 US dollars. After registration, a security check is carried out. Anyone with a criminal record will be classified as a security risk and rejected. Those who have provisional approval then only need to attend an interview – hopefully in Switzerland in the future.