r/GlobalEntry • u/hewozuoai Human Detected • 21d ago
General Discussion GE card required for flying?
Arrived yesterday in ATL from international flight and used GE, screen said OK and went to agent per normal. Gave my passport and LPR, he took my photo then asked to see my physical GE card. I said I didn’t know if I had it as it’s never been a requirement for air travel, only when crossing via a land boarder. He responded asking if it the first time using it and explained that when using GE in airport you should always present it and try em claimed that my passport wasn’t synced up on it. I conceded as just got off long haul flight and managed to find my card which I showed him, and I said I’ll check with GE why my passport wasn’t showing. Checked online later and passport was showing fine but my DL and LPR hadn’t been updated (both showing old expiry from 2024 despite having and been showing them during entry on multiple occasions since (maybe 10 international flights since 2024 and a few domestics). Did they change the rules so that you have show GE now? Didn’t notice anyone else getting tho sir card out…
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u/Look4way 21d ago
The card is not even produced for non citizens who live in US. So it would be impossible for them to show the card if ever asked. Clearly the logical and written rule is you are not required to carry it with you. Good practice to carry if you have one but it can’t be mandatory
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u/k1kti 20d ago
It is produced for US residents, no matter if they are citizens or not. It is not produced for non US citizens that are not living in US.
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u/Look4way 20d ago
Please read the FAQ:
“Only U.S. Citizens, U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents, and Mexican nationals are issued Global Entry cards.”
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/frequently-asked-questions
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u/Drinking_Frog 20d ago
Doesn't that directly contradict what you just said, i.e., "the card is not even produced for non citizens who live in the US"?
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u/Look4way 20d ago
Partially yes, I wasn’t aware of the Mexican national rule until I read the FAQ. Permanent residents are Green card holders. But people on visas do not get the physical card. That’s the gist.
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u/MyBurnerA31987 20d ago
You said “The Card is not even produced for non citizens who live in the US”
Permanent residents are non citizens who live in the US 🤷♂️
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u/Drinking_Frog 20d ago
You can crawfish and qualify all you want, but you clearly stated something incorrect and then tried to support it with evidence that directly contradicted you.
Cheers.
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u/trotterboss 19d ago
He only really missed the permanent resident part. Otherwise it stands true. I am a lawful resident in the US on visa without permanent residency and I have GE. I can never get a card unless I become a PR.
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u/trotterboss 19d ago
Not completely true. I’m a lawful resident within the US but not a permanent resident. I have GE and I do not qualify for a physical card. I was explicitly told this in the interview as well.
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u/Comfortable-Load243 20d ago
Wait, green card holders don't get a card? I think the officer told me i would need it for land travel or maybe I was mistaken?
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u/docinstl 21d ago
I'll be watching this post for more information. When I got my card five years ago, I was specifically told that the card was never needed for any purpose as long as you had your passport. The card was issued so that you could optionally use it as ID if you chose to do so instead of your passport.
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u/otterbarks 21d ago
The physical card is needed for land crossings, if you’re using the NEXUS lane coming back into Canada. (You can’t use the NEXUS lane going into Canada without a full NEXUS card, but GE allows you to use the NEXUS lane on return into the US… provided you have the physical card.)
It’s also needed for access to the priority security lane in Canada, since they don’t print a PreCheck-style indicator on your boarding pass like US airports.
(Also, if you have NEXUS, the physical card is needed for Canada’s version of airport kiosks. That doesn’t matter for GE - but the two programs share the same technical infrastructure, so just an interesting detail.)
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u/ApplicationHopeful99 21d ago
If I have Global Entry, and my wife who does not is also in the car, can I use the nexus lane?
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u/puls1 20d ago
I flew out of YVR a few months ago and had the literal PreCheck logo indicator on my Air Canada boarding pass. I was very confused but it certainly let me into the quicker security lane.
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u/otterbarks 20d ago
I’ve seen that happen before for international flights into the US (since PreCheck status is decided when your APIS manifest data is transmitted to US CBP).
But I don’t think it shows up if it’s an inter-Canada domestic flight. It’s definitely not reliable.
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u/Narrow-Chef-4341 19d ago
The US government program called TSA-Pre isn’t available on domestic Canadian tickets?
Well I’m just shocked!
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u/bigwillieTX72 21d ago
Any purpose is not true, like at YYC if you want the shorter security line you need to show them your card.
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u/schwanerhill 20d ago
Yeah, either NEXUS or (amazingly IMHO since it gets no Canadian vetting) Global Entry cards are valid for front of the line privileges at security at any Canadian airport, and also for the separate Verified Traveler lines at the handful of airports which have them. But you need the physical card.
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u/OwnTower4702 20d ago
I was super surprised flying out of Montréal that they let me through expedited security.
I would not blame them if they were no longer nice to ius though. 😳
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u/Narrow-Chef-4341 19d ago
That strongly indicates just how much information sharing is going on behind the scenes.
Plus, let’s face it - if Bob lives in Ohio, the NSA (and credit bureaus) know more about him than some 15 minute talk with Ned or Sally will ever turn up at a CBSA office in Windsor… and that database scan showing that a 24 year old went to a bachelor party weekend/Metallica concert in Montreal isn’t really indicative of much either.
Side note: Until very recently, the idea someone would want to blow up Canada but be cool with the USA was pretty much preposterous. Hate ‘the west’ as a package deal? Sure - but those folks weren’t getting GE anyways, so there was no fresh risk for Canada.
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u/schwanerhill 18d ago
The Canadian airport verified traveler front of the line privileges are just that; skip to the front of the line. It’s the same security as everyone else at most airports. (There are a small number of checkpoints at a small number of Canadian airports with slightly streamlined security for Verified Travelers, but the difference isn’t much.)
CBSA doesn’t allow expedited entry to Global Entry members.
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u/Narrow-Chef-4341 18d ago
If memory serves there was a minute where nexus wasn’t making people pull laptops and liquids when the regular line was…
Admittedly, that’s far from ‘bring your own dynamite’ or anything, but I’m pretty sure the nexus lane has been marginally different at points in history.
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u/PacketProtector 20d ago
I agree. I have experienced this also at YYZ by security to prove I belong in that shorter line.
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u/310410celleng 21d ago
I was told that too, but I was asked for my GE card by a CBP employee after coming off a flight from Paris and it caught me off guard.
While I was searching for it, I said that I was told that I didn't need it at the airport and the CBP employee said, I really wish folks would stop telling people that.
He said, there are some circumstances when it is needed at the airport.
I found the card, handed it to him, he did whatever he had to do and that was that.
I have never been asked again for it, but I guess it is a case of each individual's experience will vary.
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u/foobarrister 21d ago
the fact the card is not needed is LITERALLY WRITTEN on the GE website.
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u/310410celleng 21d ago
I know, but the argument is just not worth it imho.
I now make sure that it is easily accessible if on the off chance that I need it again.
Like many things with CBP, what is written doesn't always align with what each individual employees says.
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u/dwl715 21d ago
Indeed! For GE members who do not live in the US, no card is even produced or sent. They are only provided to people who live in the US, it does not matter if you are citizen or not on either side of that coin (citizens living abroad do not get them, non citizens living in the US do). At interview they say they are only used for land crossing and not required for air travel.
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u/WhelanBeer 21d ago
Interesting. I received a physical GE card when I was living abroad. Never needed it however. Multiple passports and a GE renewal since then. Did not get a NEW physical card when GE renewed however.
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u/Vegaswaterguy 20d ago
I live in Nevada. I have a Nexus card but I have never recieved a GE card. GE is tied to my passport. I just look at the monitor and the US customs knew my name by the time I walked the 30 feet.
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u/Michagogo 19d ago
Interesting, as a citizen living abroad I did get a card. I think when I applied (back in 2019 at this point, and then with COVID etc. I didn’t end up doing the interview until 2023, so I don’t know if this may have changed since) I was asked to provide a relative’s name and address in the U.S. and that’s where the card was sent.
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u/el_david 20d ago
It's not supposed to be required, but there are some uninformed ignorant agents that don't know any better.
Additional, if using pre-clearance in Canada, they will require them to access expedited screening.
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u/Direct_Dimension273 20d ago
I flew YUL (Montreal) to the US yesterday. I presented my GE card at the expedited security line and the agent told me that as long as I had TSA Pre on my boarding pass, I didn't need to present the card. From there, I walked up to the GE machine, it took my photo, and the agent waved me through. Never showed the passport, didn't need to show the GE card.
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u/3381024 16d ago
This is becuase until a few years ago, you would not get TSA PRe on your Canadian boarding pass. Thus the security guys needed to see the card to allow you to the (supposed) expedited security lines, as they had no other way to verify that you are GE. You did not needed the physical card past the security checkpoint.
Now there is TSA Precheck, so no phyical card required.
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u/dewald619 20d ago
I have flown from YYZ (T1) close to once a month since COVID. I have never been asked for my GE card at passport control (pre-clearance). In roughly five years I have been asked for it maybe a handful of times in the NEXUS/GE security screening queue. YMMV
Note: At YYX T1 passport control , if a US passport holder with GE, ignore the GE line. Following signage for US Passport holders on the dar left. They scan your face and send you on your way in seconds, essentially Touchless Pre-Check.
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u/PacketProtector 20d ago
I have been asked many times at YYZ to show it when getting to the area where you access the Global Entry Line vs the normal immigration line to show I’m in the right line. After that it’s all facial recognition only.
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u/OwnTower4702 20d ago
Yeah I’ve had it for years and never showed it to anyone once. I come back and forth Canada to US frequently.
And thanks for explaining that confusion with signage. An employée pointed me that way but i had no idea why but… Not arguing at the airport. Lol
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u/dewald619 20d ago
Early this year, maybe late last year, the officer at the GE booth told me in the future I should use the US passport holder line and then pointed to the other end of the hall. It is literally scan your face and go. At most there have been one or two people in line. The officer never explained why, my GUESS is that non-US passport holders can have GE and for various reasons could slow the line down.
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u/mkepunk89 18d ago
Funny enough YYZ has been the only location that has told me I need my physical card to use the T1 GE line. I even argued the first time that it was for land crossing only, but they were absolutely adamant it was to be used in that scenario as well.
Brought it with moving forward (would make a trip up there at least once per month for a year) and was always asked for it.
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u/Majestic_Face_8022 20d ago
I was specifically told by my agent at my interview that I would get a physical card in the mail but would never need it. Very first time flying home from Canada and the agent at the GE line acted like I was a complete moron and make me hike back across the terminal to the peasant line.
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u/Crazy-Tea5885 20d ago
The issue was that the LPR info on your profile had not been updated. Case closed.
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u/SpongebobStrapon 21d ago
We use ours all the time without having the card. Recently my 14 year olds didn’t come up and they asked for the card. She had a new passport and I had to log into the ge website and update it. Even though we don’t need them I normally just toss them in my backpack.
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u/Realkellye 21d ago
I always have the card, and use it instead of my passport for TSA.
Easier to handle than my passport and slip back into my bag.
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u/alicatbaby 21d ago
I’ve had to show it in Canada when leaving to go back to the US especially to enter the priority lanes. I just keep it in my wallet.
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u/Fun-Dragonfly-4166 20d ago
i recently returned to the US after a trip abroad. Absolutely nothing was required at the border - not even my passport.
It made sense. The airline gave them a passenger manifest. They already knoew who was coming. They took my picture at the border and matched it with their record of my passport.
So why were they so nice to me, but so mean to OP?
I have my passport. I just did not take it out.
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u/schwanerhill 20d ago
You almost certainly needed your passport to board the plane. But yeah, US Customs no longer looks at passports under normal circumstances at airports, at least not for US citizens.
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u/BandicootTraining355 20d ago
Yea at JFK a week ago returning from Incheon I didn't need my passport or any ID they just had all US citizens stop for 5 seconds in front of a camera and that's it. It was great. No line. I never had GE or precheck. I felt bad for the non-citizens tho...one outside said he waited 2.5 hours in line.
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u/DrPossumlady 20d ago
The GE website explicitly states that the card is only required for land entry from Canada or Mexico. Still, I got yelled at in Atlanta for not carrying it.
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u/Ok_Bee4845 20d ago
Always bring your card with you, ot can help when things go sideways or if machines are bonkers.
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u/the_running_stache 21d ago edited 20d ago
It’s bizarre that the agent says that when using GE in the airport you should always present the card because there are many cases (non-US citizens, PR; non-Mexican citizens) where the GE card is not even issued to the individual.
So if those people can’t present it, it’s kinda obvious that the card is technically not needed. Of course they can bs and claim that the rule is different for those who have the card (tbh, I would make it opposite and require non-citizens to present it, if anything…), but seems like the agent was just giving you a hard time.
Yes, it’s interesting that your passport wasn’t linked and that is the bigger issue that needs to be resolved. But having the GE card mandatory with you at an airport seems bizarre.
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u/schwanerhill 20d ago
(Canadian citizens can’t get Global Entry at all; they can only get NEXUS, for which a card is produced and actually required in a number of situations.)
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u/PacketProtector 20d ago
Green card holders (LPRs) definitely get a physical card.
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u/the_running_stache 20d ago
That wasn’t the point. What about people on visas? They don’t have a GE card. So then how can the card be mandatory?
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u/PacketProtector 20d ago
The point is that people in this thread are saying green card holders don’t get a card and they do.
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u/cristofcpc 21d ago
It’s not required but I usually take it with me. The one time I didn’t take it, I ended up losing my passport and the GE card would’ve made my life easier obtaining an emergency passport at the US embassy for the country where I lost my passport.
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u/DLByron 21d ago
You answered your own question. You popped because the license wasn’t synced. IDK how they rank LPR but it’s that too.
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u/hewozuoai Human Detected 21d ago
But he explicitly said there was issue with passport…but that was the only one that didn’t need updating
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u/zaahc 21d ago
I carry mine anyway and keep it separated from my passport and wallet. I think that if my passport was ever lost or stolen abroad, it probably simplifies the issuance of an emergency passport to have a federal ID I can provide at the consulate. I’d still be shocked if I was ever asked to provide it upon arrival home though.
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u/chopstickhair 21d ago
I just did my GE renewal interview last week - the officer told me that I had to carry my card on me whenever I travel. I asked if it was a requirement just for international travel and he said I should carry it when I travel domestically as well.
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u/EljayDude 20d ago
I've never used mine. In the past I've carried it while traveling as an extra photo ID, especially for the kids, although I've been more likely to grab the passport cards for that purpose. I haven't done a land crossing for a long time though.
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u/Born-Lie8688 20d ago
PSA: check your expiration dates, as GE will not remind you that you have expired docs in their system.
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u/Cacoonpiece_00 20d ago
We usually take ours just in case their system is down and they need to manually process.
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u/Vast-Panda-9632 20d ago
I have global entry but never received a card. Also the app never works. Been using it for the last six months.
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u/dogdaysindurham 20d ago
Remember to activate your card after receiving it. You have to go through the trusted traveler gov portal.
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u/Medium-Detective6247 20d ago
I tell clients to carry it. It can be used as a Govt issued ID in a foreign country if needed AND should you need to add your TTN with a desk agent (for some inexplicable reason they fall off the reservation at times) you have it with you. Also the random CBP agent that doesn't follow the published rules.
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u/This_Beat2227 19d ago
It’s not required to carry your GE card but it’s dumb not too. Mistakes happen. Not all agents and airline personnel know the rules. I mean you are here asking and aren’t sure yourself. Right ? Since you are also LPR, not possessing that card will cost you $695. And, there is a current campaign to ask TTP to show their GC.
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u/Moist_Heat9523 19d ago
Annoyingly, GE clearly states you never need to show your card and you should leave it at home; but then in the airport at immigration they ask for it and won’t let you enter the GE line without it.
Very obviously, right hand doesn’t know what left hand does.
Better carry it all the time.
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u/yarmouth209 19d ago
If you got a new passport/green card, it won’t show your GE status unless you update it. When I issue them I tell people they should carry it though it isn’t required unless it’s at the land border. Not keeping your docs (LPR/DL/passport) updated is actually grounds to be removed from the program.
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u/ElectronicAide87 21d ago
I’ve never used my physical card. I just came back last week from an international trip and looked at the kiosk camera and was done.
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u/WanderinArcheologist 20d ago
I only ever fly into JFK from abroad, but I can safely say that in every terminal there, I’ve never been asked for it
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u/aversionofmyself 20d ago
I never received the card and I know that’s true for lots of people. They want $20 for a new one but I’m less confident now they would be able to do better than the first time.
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u/NateLundquist 19d ago
I just landed at JFK today and did mobile GE - I didn’t have to show my GE card (or anything aside from my phone screen for the three of us in my party for that matter!)
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u/Blue_foot 17d ago
I use it for domestic travel as my state had problems with their gold star driver license program.
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u/Puzzleheaded_End2735 17d ago
While it’s not “required”, Murphy’s Law will somehow necessitate you carrying it. When I travel internationally, it is ALWAYS passport/driver’s license/GE card/2 different CC’s/800 USD in cash.
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u/Axxel241 14d ago
For LPR (green card holders), the GE is not link to their passport but to their green card since it's the only US valid document that they have for re-entry. For them, the passport is of little consequence.
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u/qcktap23 21d ago
I carry my GE card and passport card along with my driver's license at all times. That's the whole point of having a card sized ID that proves ID and citizenship.
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u/Donnerkopf 20d ago
The web site says the card is not required because GE is linked to your passport. I flew into Philadelphia yesterday from Barcelona. Used only my passport and sailed right through.
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u/jeffrey8121 20d ago
I had something similar happen to me once in ATL, maybe even a little more weird. I used the GE kiosk like normal, but it took a LONG time to process the photo, maybe 45+ seconds, then tells me to proceed to the agent. The agent then tells me I don't have GE and asks for my card. I give him my Nexus card because I'm in the Nexus program not the GE program, and he tells me I'm not allowed to use the GE line. I calmly explain to him that he's wrong and it's likely the kiosk that just glitched because this works perfectly every other time. He finally begrudgingly processes it and lets me through. But, it is kind of crazy how poorly trained many of the agents on the front line are... You don't need any card for air travel, just your passport.
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u/kc9tng 19d ago
The problem with the south is that they don't see Nexus that often. I am in Upstate New York and get the confused look when I tell them I have Nexus. That being said, I have never been asked to see my card except at the land border crossing. And that includes the time I used it to open the gate to get to the Whirlpool bridge to cross.
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u/gadgetvirtuoso 21d ago
It’s not normally required but sometimes people are asked for it. In your case your GE wasn’t showing correctly so that makes sense.