Big change for Aussies travelling to US

Eligible Australians travelling to America will have access to a fast-tracked trip through the airport from January 2025 as Australia joins the US Global Entry Program.

The program allows pre-approved and low-risk travellers to bypass lengthy processing lines, and paperwork upon travel into the US, plus access to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Pre-Check program for expedited screening for domestic flights.

Aussies looking to access the program must successfully go through a strict application process, which costs $US$100 (A$154) and includes rigorous background checks and an in-person interview.

The commitment was originally minted at a meeting between former US president Joe Biden and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October last year however has been touted since 2018 before it was delayed due to the Covid pandemic.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the program would be first opened to 1000 Australians “that travel most frequently to the US” from January next year.

The government will then look to open the program up to allow all eligible Aussies to apply; however, this will require legislation to be passed through parliament.

“Joining Global Entry is good for our citizens, it is good for Australian businesses, it is good for our friendship,” she said.

“The US-Australia relationship is unprecedented in scale, scope and significance but underpinned above all else by the links and bonds between our people.

“And this program and our participation in it is a sign of our closeness and our trust.”

She also thanked Australia’s US ambassador Kevin Rudd, and US Deputy Secretary Kurt M. Campbell for their help in progressing the partnership.

Senator Wong is in Annapolis, Maryland in the US alongside Defence Minister Richard Marles for the 34th Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.

She spruiked the relationship between the US and Australia as one that was “aligned” by shared values and goals.

“Two robust democracies, two countries that share an interest in an open, stable, prosperous world, where all countries can make our own sovereign choices, where no country dominates or is dominated,” she said.