My wife and I opted to pay for G.O.E.S. cards which allow us to bypass the normal customs lines when returning through specific participating U. S. airports, my questions are: 1.) has anyone used the system and 2.) did it work well or were there glitches? Thanks!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
It is actually Global Online Enrollment System. What does it do for immigration which is where the real lines are? Customs is not as easy as Europe but for the most part you just hand them you declarations and move on.
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
I saw flight crew members using it at Ohare Immigration and they seemed to move right through.
Posted by
San Diego, CA
133 posts
@ Frank The line that it (presumably) whisks one through IS the immigration line. A background check is required to get the card so the traveler has been pre-screened for immigration purposes. I don't recall if Global Entry holders had a preferential line at customs. Supposedly CBP is expanding the program so holders of SENTRI and NEXUS passes can also utilize the Global Entry kiosks/lines in airports. Husband and I have our SENTRI interview next week so hopefully we will have a first hand answer soon!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
530 posts
Jerry (and all), Here is my recent experience with the Global Entry System. We recently flew back to Seattle from Copenhagen via Atlanta. In Atlanta, there was a huge line at passport control. We bypassed it and went to the Global Entry kiosk (no line, no wait). Got our "proceed to exit" ticket from the machine and went to a special kiosk, where we turned in our customs form (no line, no wait, and no questions asked). Got ushered through a special Global Entry line to our connecting flight, rather than the usual (and in this case very long) customs/connecting flight line (no line, no wait). We bypassed two very long lines, and got through passport control and customs in mere minutes. Your mileage may vary - even with the Global Entry passport it is randomly possible to get pulled aside for inspection. But even if that occurs, you get ushered through to the next step.
Posted by
Columbia, SC
989 posts
I found the acronym usage here confusng so I googled it. According to the government website, the actual system name is G.O.E.S which is an acronym for Global Online Enrollment System
BUT the website continally refers to the Program as GlobaL Entry. SO: I think we can use both interchangeably here and we'll all know that we're talking about the same thing.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
530 posts
G.O.E.S. - Global Online Enrollment System - is the system you use to apply to become a Global Entry member.