TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS: Which One Fits?

The three programs in one table

| TSA PreCheck | 5 years of benefits for 85 dollars or less. Dedicated lanes across the U.S. About 99 percent of passengers wait less than 10 minutes. Children 17 and under join an adult in the PreCheck lane for free | | Global Entry | 120 dollar application fee, 5 years. Expedited clearance on arrival in the United States, at major U.S. airports, with reduced wait times, TSA PreCheck access, and use at land borders | | NEXUS | 120 dollar application-processing fee per adult applicant, 5 years. Joint CBP and Canada Border Services Agency program for expedited clearance into Canada and the United States. Children under 18 apply and, if eligible, are admitted free | | PreCheck application | Apply online in as little as 5 minutes, then an in-person appointment of about 10 minutes: documents checked, fingerprints and photo taken, payment collected. Three authorized enrollment providers, over 1,300 enrollment locations | | Global Entry application | Submit and pay the individual application, wait for the background check, schedule and attend an in-person interview, required for first-time enrollment. Most applications are reviewed within 2 weeks. Some take up to 12 months or longer depending on criminal history | | NEXUS application | Apply through the Trusted Traveler Programs website, satisfy the eligibility criteria, be admissible in both countries, and pass risk assessments by both countries. Conditional approval notice on the TTP dashboard, then an interview at a NEXUS enrollment center |

What makes the choice different

The three programs answer three different travel patterns, and the agencies' own pages say so. PreCheck is domestic airport screening: electronics and 3-1-1 liquids stay in the bag, belts, light jackets, and shoes stay on. Global Entry is arrival clearance into the United States for frequent international travelers, and the CBP page steers travelers with fewer international flights toward PreCheck plus the free Mobile Passport Control app. NEXUS is the U.S.-Canada border in both directions, by air, land, and sea, with dedicated lanes, NEXUS kiosks entering Canada by air, and Global Entry kiosks entering the United States through Canadian Preclearance airports.

The second difference is what each membership unlocks in the others. Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck access. NEXUS members can use Global Entry kiosks at no additional cost, and the Canada Border Services Agency lists TSA PreCheck lines at over 200 participating U.S. airports as a NEXUS benefit. A NEXUS member's card use has a limit: at Canada Preclearance locations the passport, U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident card, or NEXUS card may be used, while at all other ports the passport or Lawful Permanent Resident card is required. PreCheck on its own unlocks nothing at the border.

The forks, as the agencies state them

If the travel is domestic flights only, PreCheck is the program built for it: the lowest fee, the widest lane network, and no border component. If the travel is frequent international arrivals into the United States, Global Entry is the program built for it: arrival clearance plus PreCheck in one membership, with a background check and an interview. If the travel crosses the U.S.-Canada border often, NEXUS is the program built for it: both countries must approve, and both countries' risk assessments must pass, which is a stricter gate than either single-country program.

Eligibility rules differ by program and by arrangement, and this page does not flatten them. Global Entry is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and U.S. lawful permanent residents, plus citizens of countries with a CBP arrangement, under the program regulation. Standalone TSA PreCheck is narrower: the TSA page states the application program is only open to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and lawful permanent residents, while Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI allow some foreign citizens to apply. A foreign citizen therefore reaches PreCheck screening benefits through one of those programs, not through a standalone PreCheck application. NEXUS requires admissibility in both countries, and permanent residents who are not in an exempted group must have resided in Canada and/or the United States continuously for the last three years, under the Canada Border Services Agency program rules. For permanent residents, that residence rule also carries a physical-presence test: at least 183 days physically present in Canada or the United States in each of the three years, counted back from the application date, with exemptions for armed-forces members and diplomatic staff serving abroad and their family members. Check the program's own eligibility page before applying, since arrangement lists and criteria change. SENTRI, the Mexico land-border program, is out of scope for this chooser.

PreCheck renewal prices are listed per provider on the TSA page: IDEMIA renew online 58 dollars and 75 cents or in person 66 dollars and 75 cents, Telos renew online 69 dollars and 95 cents or in person 58 dollars and 75 cents, CLEAR renew online 72 dollars and 95 cents or in person 84 dollars and 95 cents. New-enrollment fees differ by provider, within the TSA headline of 85 dollars or less for five years: Telos charges 85 dollars and CLEAR charges 84 dollars and 95 cents, each for five years, as the providers state on their own enrollment pages. IDEMIA's enrollment fee is not stated here; check IDEMIA's enrollment site for its current price before paying. CLEAR's code is bundled with CLEAR+ at 134 dollars new or 146 dollars renewal, never free standalone PreCheck. No individual is guaranteed expedited screening. A Global Entry application fee is non-refundable. Minors are free with a parent already in or applying for Global Entry.

Related guides

A passport is the document behind every one of these programs. Start with the first-time track or the renewal track if the passport itself needs work first. For every passport track side by side, see the U.S. Passport Guides by Situation directory.

Source

The fees, steps, benefits, and cross-program unlocks on this page come from the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck page, the Telos and CLEAR enrollment pages, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Global Entry and NEXUS pages, the CBP NEXUS Cards page, and the Canada Border Services Agency NEXUS Program page. Global Entry eligibility classes follow the program regulation, 8 CFR 235.12. Facts verified 2026-10-27. The standalone PreCheck eligibility frame comes from the TSA "Who can apply for TSA PreCheck" page, and the NEXUS residence rule from the Canada Border Services Agency program rules (Memorandum D2-5-0), and the 183-day physical-presence test from the CBSA "Who is eligible" page; all verified 2026-10-29. The Telos and CLEAR new-enrollment fees were verified on the providers' own enrollment pages on 2026-10-29.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.