Oct. 28 - Generally speaking, I tolerate delays. But at the end of a long international airplane trip, I tend to become impatient waiting in a long line for immigration processing. Therefore, I was delighted to learn about the U.S. Global Entry program.

Frequent travelers can participate in this program by applying online in advance and paying a small processing fee. After the Department of Homeland Security conducts a background investigation, the traveler schedules an interview with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at a U.S. airport, where one submits fingerprints and is enrolled in the Global Entry program for expedited processing at the port of entry into the United States.

Last month when I arrived at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., I saw a long line of travelers waiting their turn. I bypassed this line completely and headed for the row of Global Entry kiosks. There I swiped my passport, filled out the customs form online, placed my fingers on a pad for a finger scan, and posed for an eye retina photograph. The machine then printed a receipt and customs form for me, saying that my biometric data matched my identity in my passport and I was free to enter the United States.

The entire procedure took only two minutes. I showed my receipt to the guard at the exit and left the airport while my fellow airplane passengers were still waiting in line.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to expand this program to include "trusted travelers" from other nations. We will announce this program at the APEC Leaders Meeting in Honolulu this November. I hope that Japan will choose to participate in this program so that Japanese travelers to the United States can benefit from these expedited immigration procedures.

Until next time,

Jim