The Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) provides expedited

U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

(CBP) processing, at the U.S.-Mexico border, of pre-approved travelers considered low-risk. Voluntarily applicants must undergo a thorough background check against criminal, customs, immigration, law enforcement, and terrorist databases; a 10-fingerprint law enforcement check; and a personal interview with a CBP Officer. The total enrollment fee is $122.50, and SENTRI status is valid for 5 years. Once the applicant is approved, they are issued a Radio Frequency Identification (

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...

) card identifying their status in the CBP database when arriving at U.S. land and sea ports of entry (POE). SENTRI users have access to dedicated lanes into the United States. Unlike

NEXUS NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and Border control#Expedited border controls, expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members ...

, which is a joint program between United States and Canadian immigration authorities, SENTRI is solely a CBP program and only applies to customs and immigrations inspections into the United States, not into Mexico. SENTRI members are permitted to utilize NEXUS lanes when entering the United States from Canada by land (but not vice versa).

Global Entry Global Entry is a program of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports and via the SE ...

allows registered users to enter their own SENTRI applications and approved members to edit their information. A valid SENTRI card is a

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is the implementation of the requirement to show a passport or other acceptable document to enter the United States, for nationals of certain North American jurisdictions who were previously exempt ...

(WHTI) compliant document.

History

SENTRI was conceived in 1995. A team of representatives from the

Immigration and Naturalization Service The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and the U.S. Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003. Referred to by some as former INS and by others as legacy INS, ...

(INS),

U.S. Customs Service The United States Customs Service was the very first federal law enforcement agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. Established on July 31, 1789, it collected import tariffs, performed other selected borde ...

, and five other Federal stakeholder agencies was formed and established a technical concept, engineering design and relevant policies. The first SENTRI lane was deployed at the

Otay Mesa Port of Entry The Otay Mesa Port of Entry (Spanish: ''Puerto de Entrada Mesa de Otay'') is one of three ports of entry (POE) in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan region, in the U.S. state of California, connecting Otay Mesa in the City of San Diego with th ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, where the concept and design was refined. Additional technology tests, including in-vehicle biometrics and laneside facial recognition, were conducted at this site. In 1998, the decision was made to expand SENTRI to

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

. The aim was to relieve congestion at the busy

Paso del Norte International Bridge The Paso del Norte International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. The bridge is also known as "Paso del ...

. However, this bridge was not wide enough to set aside one lane as a dedicated commuter lane. Therefore, the nearby Stanton Street bridge, which had been a southbound-only bridge, was chosen as the best place to deploy SENTRI. A new port of entry facility was built, and the SENTRI lane opened in September 1999. Next, the SENTRI team elected to deploy a system at the busiest single border crossing in the world,

San Ysidro, California San Ysidro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Isidore the Laborer, St. Isidore", ) is a district of the City of San Diego, immediately north of the Mexico–United States border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and N ...

. The congested nature of

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, near the border crossing, made it difficult to identify a place to put the dedicated lane, but with the cooperation of many organizations on both sides of the border, a lane was segregated, and SENTRI opened at San Ysidro in 2000, after which point the SENTRI team was disbanded, and SENTRI became a program office within INS. After INS was sunsetted on March 1, 2003, the SENTRI program office was absorbed by DHS Customs and Border Protection. Today, SENTRI Lanes can be found at the following ports of entry, from West to East: ;California *

San Ysidro Port of Entry __NOTOC__ The San Ysidro Port of Entry (aka San Ysidro Land Port of Entry or San Ysidro LPOE) is the largest land border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, and the fourth- busiest land border crossing in the world (second-busiest if one exclu ...

, San Diego, California *

Calexico West Port of Entry The Calexico West Port of Entry (formerly known simply as the Calexico Port of Entry, and sometimes called the "Downtown" port of entry) is one of two ports of entry in the Imperial Valley area of California. It is located in the business center ...

Calexico, California Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Diego ...

Calexico East Port of Entry The Calexico East Port of Entry is a border crossing point between the United States and Mexico. It connects the cities of Calexico, California and Mexicali, Baja California. It connects directly to California State Route 7. The east crossing wa ...

;Arizona *

San Luis Port of Entry The San Luis Port of Entry has been a busy US port of entry since the early 1900s. It connects San Luis, Arizona, to San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. It connects to U.S. Route 95 on the north and Mexican Federal Highway 2 as well as Sonora State ...

San Luis, Arizona San Luis is a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The population was 25,505 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area. San Luis, located in the southwest corner of the state directly adjacent to Mexico's ...

Nogales-Grand Avenue Port of Entry The Nogales Arizona Port of Entry on Grand Avenue has been in existence since the early 20th century. It connects Interstate 19 with Mexican Federal Highway 15. The port of entry is named after former Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini. The bord ...

Nogales, Arizona Nogales (English: or , ; ) is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The population was 20,837 at the 2010 census and estimated 20,103 in 2019. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson–Nogales combined statistical area, with a total population ...

Douglas Arizona Port of Entry The Douglas, Arizona Port of Entry is a port of entry on the Mexico–United States border. It connects Douglas, Arizona with Agua Prieta, Sonora. It is near the southern terminus of U.S. Route 191 in Arizona and the northern terminus of Mexic ...

Douglas, Arizona Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States that lies in the north-west to south-east running Sulpher Springs Valley. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of mining. The population was 16,531 in ...

;Texas *

El Paso Stanton Street Port of Entry The El Paso Stanton Street Port of Entry, located at the Good Neighbor International Bridge is limited to processing passenger vehicles that are enrolled in the SENTRI program. It is open from 6:00 AM - midnight weekdays, and 8:00 AM - midnight ...

El Paso Ysleta Port of Entry The El Paso Ysleta Port of Entry, is located at the Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge. It was established when the first bridge was built at this location in 1938. The bridge was rebuilt in 1955, and again in 1990. The current border insp ...

Del Rio Texas Port of Entry The Del Rio Texas Port of Entry is located at the Del Río – Ciudad Acuña International Bridge. A pontoon bridge was first built around 1919, and it was replaced by a more permanent bridge in 1929 built by the Citizens Bridge Company. That b ...

Del Rio, Texas Del Rio is a city and the county seat of Val Verde County in southwestern Texas, United States. The city is 152 miles west of San Antonio. As of 2020, Del Rio had a population of 34,673. History The Spanish established a small settlement south o ...

Eagle Pass Camino Real Port of Entry The Eagle Pass Camino Real Port of Entry (sometimes called (Eagle Pass II) is located at the Camino Real International Bridge. Built in 1999, it is the location where all commercial vehicles entering Eagle Pass are inspected. References See al ...

Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across th ...

Laredo Colombia Solidarity Port of Entry The Laredo Columbia Solidarity Port of Entry is located at the Colombia – Solidarity International Bridge (sometimes referred to as "Bridge III"). It is the only port of entry from the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. It was built in 1991 in an e ...

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of t ...

Laredo Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry Laredo may refer to: Places * Laredo, Cantabria, the original Spanish town with this name * Laredo District, La Libertad, Peru United States and Mexico * Laredo–Nuevo Laredo, a bi-national metropolitan area ** Laredo, Texas *** Downtown Lar ...

* Anzalduas Port of Entry,

Mission, Texas Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 77,058 at the 2010 census and an estimated 84,331 in 2019. Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas. Geography M ...

* Hidalgo Texas Port of Entry,

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José d ...

* Pharr Texas Port of Entry,

Pharr, Texas Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 70,400, and in 2019, the estimated population was 79,112. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Pharr is p ...

* Brownsville – Veterans Port of Entry,

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...

US Global Entry

US citizens may use their SENTRI membership at

US Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

kiosks located in participating US airports. Mexican nationals who are SENTRI members may apply for

after passing a risk assessment conducted by the Mexican government.

TSA PreCheck

US citizens who are SENTRI members may use TSA PreCheck on all participating airlines by entering their Customs and Border Protection ID number or PASS ID/KTN (Known Traveler Number) from their SENTRI card into their flight reservation information or into their frequent flyer account. The same privileges extend to NEXUS and Global Entry members. Note that such Trusted Travelers have a very high probability of receiving PreCheck, it is not guaranteed: TSA still uses random procedures for all passengers. This said, Global Entry participants have the absolute highest priority/likelihood for receiving PreCheck (per CBP documents, including a note that it’s included—not “may” receive—with GE).

Enrollment centers

Enrollment centers are located in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, Nogales, and San Luis, Arizona;

Calexico Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Diego ...

Otay Mesa Otay Mesa ( ) is a community in the southern section of the city of San Diego, just north of the U.S.–Mexico border. It is bordered by the Otay River Valley and the city of Chula Vista on the north; Interstate 805 and the neighborhoods of Oc ...

, and

San Ysidro San Ysidro (Spanish for " St. Isidore", ) is a district of the City of San Diego, immediately north of the Mexico–United States border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and Nestor and the Tijuana River Valley t ...

, California; and Brownsville,

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

, and Laredo, Texas.

References

External links