Tens of thousands of Israelis to enjoy expedited clearance in US airports for $100 fee

US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman are set to sign an agreement adding Israel to the Global Entry program which will allow expedited clearance to tens of thousands of Israeli citizens upon arriving in the US, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

Homeland Security officials negotiated the agreement with Israeli representatives during a recent visit to Israel.

Global Entry is a relatively new program initiated by the US administration which aims to ease the entry of foreign and American citizens to the US. Six countries have thus far joined the program - Britain, Holland, Qatar, Austria, New Zealand and Japan – while 250,000 American citizens have registered.

The program aims to help frequent travelers to the US, usually businessmen, diplomats and relatives of US citizens.

Applicants will undergo strict checks to rule them out as a security or criminal threats. The privilege requires a $100 fee in addition to the visa, and is effective for 10 years. During this time, all the applicant needs to do upon landing in the US is present his finger for biometric identification and will not be required to go through border control.

As part of the agreement, set to be signed on Sunday, Israel will set up a VIP route for US citizens registered with the program allowing them expedited clearance upon landing in Israel. It should be noted that the program does not offer a visa waiver. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 05/17/12)