U.S., Korea seek to link trusted traveler programs

U.S., Korea seek to link trusted traveler programs    Mutual recognition isn't only for cargo security.
   On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin and Dong-hyeon Seok, commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service, signed an agreement in Washington to harmonize their trusted traveler initiatives and eventually offer reciprocal benefits to members of each program.
   Two governments are able to mutually recognize their programs when each is satisfied the counterpart's security procedures for vetting participants in an expedited supply chain or traveler program, and overall inspection regimes, are compatible with its own.
   CBP has mutual recognition agreements in the cargo arena through its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and similar programs with New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Jordan and Korea, although work is still underway on information sharing and other steps to fully implement the exchange of reciprocal benefits. C-TPAT is a voluntary program that offers the possibility of fewer cargo exams and some other preferential treatment at ports to companies that adopt approved security plans that meet or exceed minimum security standards. Under mutual recognition, CBP can extend those benefits to companies exporting to the United States that have been validated by a foreign customs service instead of its own personnel.
   CBP's program for expediting the flow of pre-verified, low-risk international travelers is called Global Entry. It is available to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and citizens of the Netherlands and Mexico, as well as Canadian citizens through the NEXUS program on the northern border.
   Applicants pay a $100 fee to cover the cost of a background check, interview, photo and fingerprints. They then use automated kiosks that can read an electronic passport and fingerprints on a touchpad, bypassing traditional Customs checks similar to how a shopper goes through self-checkout at a grocery store. Global Entry is available at 20 U.S. airports.
   CBP has signed agreements with the United Kingdom and Germany, and is in discussions with Singapore and Japan, to develop trusted traveler arrangements.
   Global Entry has more than 629,000 participants. There are 300,000 people enrolled in the Korea Immigration Smart Service, that country's trusted traveler program, according to CBP.
   Officials from both countries are discussing possible protocols for aligning the two programs, including types of databases, data transmissions, and applicant background checks, it said. ' Eric Kulisch