Dominican Republic citizens may soon be able to enter the U.S. through Global Entry kiosks.
When the Caribbean country is included in the program, Dominican citizens who apply for and obtain approval to participate in Global Entry will be able to enter the U.S. using the screening kiosks in the Federal Inspection Service areas of 85 airports in the U.S. and other countries.
What you should know
Citizens of the Dominican Republic could soon be part of Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that would give them an authorization to expedite entry procedures into the United States through automated kiosks at selected airports.
When the Caribbean country is included in the program, Dominican citizens who apply for and obtain approval to participate in Global Entry will be able to enter the U.S. using the screening kiosks in the Federal Inspection Service areas of 85 airports in the U.S. and other countries.
Successful Global Entry applicants will also receive the benefit of the TSA PreCheck program, which will allow for a more seamless screening process at security checkpoints for domestic and international flights departing from the U.S.
Citizens of the Dominican Republic could soon be part of Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that would give them an authorization to expedite entry procedures into the United States through automated kiosks at selected airports.
This is because U.S. Customs and Border Protection Associate Commissioner Troy Miller and Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez signed a memorandum of understanding to formally initiate negotiations to include the Dominican Republic among Global Entry’s international partner countries.
When the Caribbean country is included in the program, Dominican citizens who apply for and obtain approval to participate in Global Entry will be able to enter the U.S. using checkpoint kiosks in the Federal Inspection Service areas of 85 airports in the U.S. and other countries. Officials highlighted the strong cooperation between the two countries on immigration and combating organized crime.
At airports, program members proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and complete a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a receipt for the transaction and directs the traveler to baggage claim and departure.
Successful Global Entry applicants will also receive the benefit of the TSA PreCheck program, which will allow for a more seamless screening process at security checkpoint for domestic and international flights departing the U.S. and will eliminate the requirement to remove shoes, jackets or belts and computers from carry-on luggage.
“We are excited to partner with the Dominican Republic to work toward welcoming Dominican citizens to Global Entry membership in the future,” Miller said. “These initial steps symbolize our countries’ efforts and commitment to fostering a relationship that facilitates legitimate trade and travel and, just as importantly, strengthens the security of both countries while providing a benefit to our citizens.”
Alvarez welcomed this agreement as a recognition to further foster trust and the international travel relationship between two countries that are allies and friends. “Once fully implemented, Global Entry will contribute to the growing tourism and trade ties that currently position the Dominican Republic as an ideal destination for relocating U.S. companies to the region and strengthening supply chains,” he said.
Dominican Ambassador Sonia Guzman called this initiative one of the most significant achievements of the bilateral relationship in recent years.
“This has been a priority since we took office in Washington, and the embassy and CBP teams have spent months collaborating with their counterparts in the Dominican Republic to achieve this arrangement. We thank Minister Alvarez for his vision and support throughout this process. We look forward to beginning negotiations on the technical aspects as soon as possible so that the Global Entry program can begin to benefit thousands of travelers,” said Guzman.
The diplomat noted that by completing several additional steps in the process to become a full Global Entry partner with the U.S., the Dominican Republic would become the sixth Latin American country to be part of the program. The other countries are Colombia, Panama, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
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