Self-vetting questions before you apply for Global Entry / NEXUS / SENTRI / FAST
# Background: I spent time on the DHS side supporting CBP, TSA, and State. None of this is legal advice and I don't speak for any agency — it's just a plain-language way to think through what CBP actually weighs. Add your own situation in the comments and this is not legal advice.
The one thing to internalize: **a Trusted Traveler membership is a discretionary privilege, not a right.** CBP checks you against criminal, law-enforcement, customs, immigration, agriculture, and terrorism databases, and the regulation (8 CFR 235.12) lets them deny anyone they decide isn't "low-risk," at their sole discretion. Everything below is about anticipating what that review turns up.
I've tagged each item with how much weight it tends to carry. **These are my own rough labels for self-assessment — CBP does not publish a scoring system, and decisions are discretionary.**
* **\[Baseline\]** routine, rarely a problem on its own
* **\[Look\]** could slow you down or need documentation
* **\[Serious\]** commonly tied to denials — gather records, maybe talk to counsel
* **\[Stop\]** the patterns that most reliably end an application
**1. Identity & documents**
* \[Baseline\] Name, DOB, place of birth exactly as they appear on the passport you'll use?
* \[Baseline\] Valid machine-readable passport (and green card if you're an LPR)?
* \[Look\] Ever used other names, maiden names, or spellings on official docs — can you account for each?
* \[Look\] Can you cover your last 5 years of address history with no gaps? Gaps and inconsistencies are the single most common thing that drags out vetting.
**2. Picking the right program for your status**
* \[Baseline\] Global Entry: US citizens/nationals/LPRs plus select partner-country nationals.
* \[Baseline\] NEXUS: US & Canadian citizens/LPRs, and Mexican Viajero Confiable members.
* \[Baseline\] SENTRI: no citizenship requirement, built for the southern land border.
* \[Baseline\] FAST: commercial truck drivers (US/Canada/Mexico).
* \[Look\] Mexican nationals using GE tech also have to carry a valid US visa.
**3. Criminal history (the big one)**
* \[Stop\] Felony conviction, US or any country — the clearest disqualifier. Old ones still get denied.
* \[Stop\] Any drug trafficking / importation / distribution involvement — treated as essentially automatic, felony or misdemeanor, any age, because the program hands you expedited customs clearance.
* \[Serious\] Crime involving moral turpitude (fraud, theft, robbery, serious assault) — listed as disqualifying.
* \[Serious\] Weapons offense, or any nexus to terrorism or a watchlisted person.
* \[Serious\] DUI/DWI — not automatically fatal, but heavily weighed and recency matters a lot. (CBP's SENTRI page calls out DUI specifically.)
* \[Look\] Misdemeanors, dismissed charges, arrests without conviction.
* \[Serious\] Anything expunged or sealed? CBP isn't bound by state expungement and can still see federal records — disclose it anyway (see #6).
**4. Pending matters & investigations**
* \[Stop\] Pending charges, an open case, or an outstanding warrant anywhere.
* \[Stop\] Being the subject of an active investigation by any law-enforcement agency, any country.
* \[Serious\] Probation/parole, unpaid fines, or unresolved court obligations.
**5. Customs / immigration / agriculture violations**
* \[Stop\] Ever found in violation of customs, immigration, or agriculture law in any country — explicitly listed, and people badly underestimate it.
* \[Serious\] Ever paid a port-of-entry fine or had goods seized — undeclared items, over-limit currency, prohibited ag products, counterfeits. Even small penalties surface.
* \[Serious\] Any overstays, removals, deportations, or admissibility issues.
* \[Look\] Are you admissible, including if you hold a waiver of inadmissibility or parole docs? (SENTRI flags this directly.)
**6. Truthfulness — a separate disqualifier on its own**
* \[Stop\] Every answer complete and truthful? False or incomplete info is its own disqualifier and can be a federal offense, separate from whatever you were trying to avoid disclosing.
* \[Serious\] Tempted to leave off something old or minor? Don't. CBP treats an omission the same as a false statement. A disclosed old charge can still be approved; a concealed one usually can't, and it can bar you from all TTPs.
* \[Look\] Have the disposition paperwork ready (court records, final outcome) before you apply — you'll want it at the interview or for a reconsideration request.
**7. National security / watchlist proximity (the implicit stuff)**
* \[Stop\] Any reason to think you're on a watchlist or tied to someone who is?
* \[Serious\] Anything in your record that pattern-matches the security concerns CBP screens for? You can't see those databases, but you can be honest with yourself about your own history.
* \[Look\] Repeated secondary-inspection referrals, or a prior TTP denial/revocation — note the prior outcomes.
**8. Keeping the membership (it's continuous for all 5 years)**
* \[Serious\] Keep your info current — new name, passport, visa. (Mexican members especially: not updating can break your I-94 and PreCheck benefits.)
* \[Serious\] A new arrest or conviction during membership can trigger revocation.
* \[Look\] Follow the kiosk/declaration rules exactly — lane misuse or a false declaration is a terms violation.
**9. If you get denied or revoked**
CBP often won't give a detailed reason. Three avenues: talk to a supervisor at an enrollment center (appointment), email the CBP Trusted Traveler Ombudsman (sometimes reachable through the TTP portal), or file through DHS TRIP (the redress program) if you think it's a misidentification or watchlist mixup. Practical order of operations: if you suspect a specific record is the cause, resolve or document that first, then appeal. For an actual conviction or admissibility question, that's where you have to consult an immigration attorney.
**Quick gut-check**
* All \[Baseline\]/\[Look\], fully disclosed, docs in hand: most people here get approved within a few weeks. Apply.
* One \[Serious\]: apply, but gather your disposition records first; consider a consult if it's a conviction.
* Any \[Stop\]: talk to legal professional before applying.
Bottom line — disclose everything, document everything, pick the program that fits your status, and remember CBP's discretion is broad and ongoing. Most people with clean records and honest applications are fine.
*General info for discussion, not legal advice. Verify current rules at ttp.dhs.gov and cbp.gov.*