On 30 September 2022, the US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) and the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex) had agreed to start negotiations to include the Dominican Republic in the US Global Entry foreign partner countries. Less than a year was to pass, when on 14 August 2023, the US government announced the enactment of the Global Entry facility for Dominican citizens.
Global Entry is a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports.
At the airports, program members proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or US permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint verification and complete a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit.
Travelers must be pre-approved for the Global Entry program. All applicants undergo a rigorous background check and in-person interview before enrollment.
Dominican citizens who apply and get approved can enter the US using the control kiosks in inspection service areas of 85 US airports.
Those approved for the program also receive the benefits of participating in the PreCheck program that allows for smoother screening security control for domestic and international flights departing from the United States, eliminating the requirement to remove shoes, jackets or belts, and computers from carry-on bags.
The Dominican Republic is the sixth Latin American country to be part of the program.
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Global Entry
CBP
15 August 2023