Japanese Eligible for Global Entry

As of December 2, 2024, Japanese citizens, regardless of visa status, are eligible to enroll in the US Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry Trusted Traveler Program, which will expedite entry into the US, as Global Entry travelers do not have to wait in a passport inspection line, but instead complete the immigration and customs process at an electronic kiosk using previously submitted biometric data.  Global Entry is now available to all Japanese citizens, notably persons with nonimmigrant visas or ESTA authorization.  Previously, only Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) were eligible for Global Entry. Even though entry is expedited and entrants are not interviewed at the port of entry, Global Entry applicants are not relieved of the obligation to declare overseas purchases in the event that they exceed the applicable duty free limits.

Applying for Global Entry is done online at the Customs and Border Protection website - Global Entry for Citizens of Japan | U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  If preliminarily approved, applicants will complete the process by interviewing at a Customs and Border Protection office at a US port of entry, and in many cases, the interview may be conducted when the applicant arrives in the US from an overseas trip.

US Customs and Border Protection charges a fee of $120.00 for Global Entry and if approved, Global Entry is valid for five years.  In our opinion, if provided a choice, Global Entry is preferable to TSA Pre-Check as Global Entry approval automatically enrolls the applicant in TSA Pre-Check and provides expedited travel for both international and domestic (US) travel.  It should be noted that TSA Pre-Check charges a fee of $85.00 for five years so Global Entry provides additional travel coverage for a minimal increase in cost.

Masuda Funai is a full-service law firm with offices in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Schaumburg.