www.CostaRicaTicas.com

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl ... 5545.story

Coming back via FLL may be a little quicker very soon

An extremely poorly-written article which nevertheless has a shred of truth to it. Kiosks do not "speed you through customs." You must be a member of the United States' Global Entry program to use those kiosks. It is not difficult to join, but it is a zero-tolerance Trusted Traveler Program that requires a background check. It is primarily an Immigration, not Customs, clearance expediter, but it does cover Customs clearance as well. It is worth joining the Global Entry program if you fly internationally more than once or twice per year.

However, these new kiosks bypass the Global Entry program and do provide CBP with useful information that expedites the CBP clearance process. There are hopes that it will eventually replace the GE program, but CBP must buy off on that aspect of it first.

It is important to keep in mind that Global Entry is a security clearance, and that these new kiosks are just an expediter that confers no special status on the user. Global Entry also pre-qualifies you for TSA's Pre-Check program, although Pre-Check requires a case-by-case approval that is not directly tied to GE status.

The Global Entry program is available to users in a few other countries as well, and is reciprocal with programs in a few other countries, with expansion continuing. There is a guy that I know that is living here in Costa Rica, who is also in the travel business, who was instrumental in getting Panama to adopt Global Entry standards, and he is currently working on adoption/implementation of the program in Costa Rica, Belize, Great Britain, and a couple of other countries.

If he and his co-workers get their way, you'll be able to travel anywhere in the world, as much as you want, with only a plastic ID card that you just swipe as you walk out of the airport. Of course, all nations retain the right to have their Immigration and Customs officers interrogate you and hand-inspect your baggage.

I don't see how this can ever replace GE. Certain aspects of it are similar. It speeds up checking the paperwork. However, without a background check, CBP will still need to do the verbal interview. Granted sometimes there is no interview at all.

I gotta agree with the tad sensitive ultimate driving machine here

I read the article too, and there was ZERO MENTION that you had to be "trusted Global" to take advantage of the new machines - frankly, I thought something had changed at FLL and MIA - you would too if you read the article.

Very poor job of <not>reporting. If you read that article you would think with the addition of the new machines all you have to do is shove you passport in and you are home free - but that's only possible if you have GI. Really shitty job of reporting.

Couple more notes:

I have Global Entry, and think its great
Its a process to obtain, so you can't apply 1 week or two before you leave
Its costs $100 and is good for 5 years
If you have EVER been convicted of a felony, or a misdemeanor in the last 10 years, or a serious traffic offense (reckless driving for example) you are not gonna be approved


Occasionally, BMW, we trade some worthwhile info around here and today is a good example

It's a tad confusing alright. Why no mention is made of Global Entry makes this information quite confusing.

This concept is actually almost as old as GE, and may end up being more portable. Instead of waiting for CBP to install GE kiosks, any airport can simply pony up the cash and install a system themselves. Once again, although CBP has bought off on the use of the kiosks and receipts that they generate, there is no GE clearance involved.

The article should have mentioned that this was NOT GE, as a lot of people are getting confused about this. The original system was called BorderXpress. I don't know what they're calling it now, as I still use GE. I think it is still BorderXpress. Despite apocryphal tales on the internet, it is my experience that GE runs faster.

Unless the law has changed - and it has not - the only way to use these new terminals and gain entry is if you have Global Entry - and the majority of travelers do not.
The whole article was a POS and very misleading as it never mentioned GE

Nope, they are completely independent of Global Entry. Their use is available to anyone on-the-spot with a US or Canadian passport and is completely free. No sign-up or security interview is required.

Some dude in Canada is the one who came up with it, and the Vancouver Airport Authority apparently owns all of the rights to the system, produces and sells the machines to other airports.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news ... sport.html

I have a contact here in Costa Rica who is much more knowledgeable about this kind of stuff than I am, and has been working to help airports and countries to implement this kind of thing. With all of these different programs floating around, it's hard to keep them straight, and they are all different.

Global Entry, Sentri, Nexus, Trusted Traveler, TSA Pre-Check, CLEAR, Privium... and now BorderXpress.

Anybody else remember INSPASS and CANPASS?

If that's true, its great news (ANYTHING to move the lines; although I'm a bit dubious b/c most people can't operate a soda machine, much less anything like a passport machine ) and I stand corrected.

Still think it was a really shitty article for not clarifying this

Oh, man... I 100% agree that the reporter did not do his/her research and realize what a source of confusion this would be for people who know about Global Entry. Amateur journalism at its finest.

It's probably going to be just like the airline check-in kiosks. There will be airline/airport employees everywhere, encouraging people to use them and walking them through the process. But, it will catch on. Especially here in 2014, with everyone and their brother owning at least a smartphone and a notebook computer, it will catch on.

Here we go, headed into the future where yet another aspect of society breaks away from pen and paper.

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It's actually pretty easy. I spoke with my buddy here in San Jose today, and it basically works like this:

1) Swipe passport (you already do this at an airline check-in kiosk)
2) Then, the kiosk asks you very straightforward questions
3) The kiosk then prints out a receipt that you present to CBP
4) BorderXpress even takes advantage of the legality of an entire family filing only one Customs form

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We had a long conversation about BorderXpress. They have done a lot more research than CBP has done with Global Entry. Chances are that over the next several years, BorderXpress or something like it will take over. CBP would love it, and would be happy to get out of the "ATM" business. Trusted Traveler programs could continue, but the automation/technical part of it could be taken over by private enterprise, and CBP could get out of the computer programming business.

my only concern is that we are putting Canadians in charge of border access on US or Canadian passports. But I felt this way when we outsourced our military rifles, ammunition and uniforms. So what do I know.

Oh, and we outsourced our own space program too.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

But...

BACON!!!

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seriously...

All that BorderXpress does is consolidate the info into an easy-to-read receipt that the traveler presents to the CBP officer. There is no bypass of CBP controls.

you remember that when the Russians colonize Mars, and our military uniforms are all 2 sizes too small to go to war in!

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

I came in this afternoon via FLL and saw the new machines. They are separate and different from the GE kiosks.

If you're familiar with the FLL immigration layout, you go into the large room and the 2 GE kiosks are still on the right hand side, whereas the new machines (I counted 6) are on the far left. So you make the regular line and it looks like you can choose to use a machine or be checked in by an officer. Not sure about that though since I use the GE kiosks.

mh

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mh

The complete GE program took me about 2 and a half months. Don't lie. They will catch you.

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I am NOT a Cien Boy!!

Canadians are not in charge of anything. The machines just happens to have been made by a Canadian company. All the final processing is still done by local BP agents. All the machines do are handling the administrative tasks.

Here's a better explanation.
http://vimeo.com/m/73161733

GE and BorderXpress are totally seperate things.