Agency announces streamlined procedure for Dutch air travel

U.S. Customs and Border Protection today announced a test program intended to streamline enrollment into programs aimed at easing the ability of travelers from the United States and the Netherlands to enter each country.

Five airports will have joint enrollment centers for the U.S. government's Global Entry program and the Netherlands' Privium program.

Global Entry, which was launched in 2008, allows approved citizens of the United States and the Netherlands to bypass traditional customs lines after flying into a U.S. airport. Those travelers instead would register their entry by using airport kiosks that can read passports and accept fingerprint scans.

Privium does the same for entry into the Netherlands. Previously, travelers could only enroll in the programs by going to each country.

But the joint enrollment centers, which will be set up for a limited time, will give travelers the flexibility to join each program without having to register in person in the other country.

Two enrollment centers were set to open today and will remain open until April 23 - one at Dulles International Airport and the other at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

From April 26 to May 14, enrollment centers will be open at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. The final enrollment center will be open from April 19 to June 30 at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

About 42,000 travelers are enrolled in the Global Entry program, which is only available to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents and citizens of the Netherlands, according to a CBP spokeswoman.

She said the U.S. government is in talks to expand the program to citizens of the United Kingdom and Germany.

To join Global Entry, travelers must undergo background screening by CBP and be approved as a low-risk for expedited entry into the United States.

The joint enrollment centers are being tested as part of the Fast Low-Risk Universal Crossing program, which CBP describes as "a partnership between the governments of the U.S. and the Netherlands that helps expedite international travel by establishing an automated border passage program for pre-approved, low-risk travelers."