Mexican citizens are now eligible to apply for expedited border crossing into the United States under the Homeland Security Department's Global Entry pilot program.

In a Federal Register notice printed Dec. 29, Customs and Border Protection announced that following a joint U.S.-Mexican declaration signed on Nov. 30, Mexican nationals can apply starting immediately to be designated as a low-risk traveler qualified for self-scanned passport kiosk entry into the United States.

Applicants undergo a background check and fingerprinting; at the moment of entry, rather than go to a normal passport control line, qualified participants instead can go to a Global Entry kiosk where they scan their passport, submit fingerprint scans and have their picture compared to their passport photo. The application fee is $100.

Until the Dec. 29 notice, citizens from the Netherlands have been the only foreign nationals allowed to participate in Global Entry. Self-scan passport kiosks are in many, but not all U.S. international airports; perhaps most notably, Denver International Airport is not among the 21 airports with a Global Entry path.

Applicants suspected of terrorism or criminality, including smuggling, will be denied participation in the program, the notice adds. Under the Nov. 30 joint declaration, Mexico is expected to develop a similar program for expedited entry into its country.

For more:
- go to the Federal Register notice

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