Re: [105attendees] Global Entry/NEXUS Travel Tips for Canada

[Dave Lawrence <[e-mail]>]

Ken Murchison writes:
> Hmm.  That's not clear from the website but good to know.  I had Global 
> Entry first because I thought I needed it for overseas travel and then 
> added Nexus for $40 just prior to Montreal last July.

One potential gotcha bit me (and probably only ever me) but will
perhaps serve as a word of warning to anyone who has Global Entry then
gets NEXUS.

I had this same realization about getting NEXUS after I'd already
interviewed for Global Entry, in a very short time period, maybe
around a month or so.  When I got approved for the programs I ended up
activating my Nexus card before my GE, and therein was the problem.

While the Canadian system was fine because they don't have anything to
do with the Global Entry program, the US system can only have one
active at a time and so my GE activation basically cancelled out my
NEXUS membership from the US side, meaning that though I had no
problem using NEXUS to get into Canada, I couldn't use it to get back
into the US and ended up being diverted to the hassle of secondary
screening because of my NEXUS card shows to the US people like it's
revoked or something.  It's basically going to be like this until I am
up for renewal and can just put everything under NEXUS.

It caused quite a deal of confusion for both US and Canadian border
patrol until we figured out what happened.  Nothing quite like having
the security forces of a couple of different nations wondering what's
going on with you.  One of the things they emphasized very clearly
when it was all sorted out was the Matroyshka-like nature of the
programs, NEXUS > Global Entry > TSA Pre-Check.  For travellers
even semi-regularly going to Canada, just get NEXUS.