NEXUS card guide for US-Canada travel. Benefits, application process, costs, and how it compares to Global Entry and PreCheck.
Benefits
Expedited border crossing at land, air, and marine ports between US and Canada
Includes TSA PreCheck and Global Entry benefits
Use dedicated NEXUS lanes at land borders
Use automated kiosks at Canadian airports
How to Apply
Apply online through the Trusted Traveler Programs website
Cost: $50 for 5 years (the most affordable trusted traveler program)
Requires approval from both U.S. and Canadian governments
Interview conducted at a NEXUS enrollment center
NEXUS costs $50 for five years and is the least expensive trusted traveler program. It covers U.S.–Canada crossings by land, air, and sea, and approved members also receive Global Entry and TSA PreCheck benefits. Approval requires clearance from both the U.S. and Canadian governments.
How to apply for NEXUS
Apply through the Trusted Traveler Programs portal — The same CBP account used for Global Entry handles NEXUS applications. Both CBP and the Canada Border Services Agency review the file, so the questionnaire covers residency and travel history in detail.
Pay the $50 fee — The fee covers five years if approved and is non-refundable. Some credit-card travel credits reimburse NEXUS the same way they reimburse Global Entry.
Wait for conditional approval from both countries — Because two agencies review the application, processing has historically taken longer than Global Entry. Either country can decline on its own.
Interview at a NEXUS enrollment center — Interviews are conducted with both a U.S. and a Canadian officer, usually at a border-region enrollment center or a Canadian airport. Appointment availability is the practical bottleneck for applicants who live far from the border.
Use the card and the lanes — The NEXUS card works in dedicated land-border lanes and at Canadian airport kiosks. In the U.S., the membership also produces a Known Traveler Number for PreCheck and grants Global Entry kiosk access.
Renewal timing and lapses
Membership is valid for five years and expires at the end of your birth month in the fifth year.
Renewal can be filed up to one year early through the same portal, and benefits generally continue while a timely renewal is processed.
A renewal interview may be required, and enrollment-center appointment backlogs are the main reason travelers lose coverage — start early.
Keep passport and residency details current in the profile; both agencies match the record against your documents at the border.
Children need their own NEXUS membership to use NEXUS lanes, and minors renew at 18.
Who NEXUS fits, and who should skip it
Good fit: anyone near the Canadian border
At $50 for five years it is cheaper than PreCheck alone while including PreCheck and Global Entry benefits, plus dedicated land-crossing lanes.
Good fit: bargain hunters who can reach an interview
Travelers who never go to Canada still get the U.S. benefits, but only if they can attend an interview at a border-region enrollment center.
Skip it: you cannot reach an enrollment center
If a border interview means a dedicated trip, Global Entry with Enrollment on Arrival is usually the faster path even at $120.
Skip it: you need coverage soon
Dual-agency review plus limited interview slots make NEXUS the slowest of the three federal programs to obtain.
What goes wrong with NEXUS
Assuming approval by one agency is enough — both CBP and CBSA must clear the application.
Booking an interview at a distant center and missing it, which restarts scheduling.
Using a NEXUS lane at a land border with a passenger who is not a member; every occupant of the vehicle must be enrolled.
Forgetting that NEXUS does not change what you may carry across the border, including cannabis, which remains federally prohibited in the U.S.
U.S.–Canada border crossings by land, air, and sea
The ID and boarding-pass check only
Cost
$76.75–$85 / 5 years
$120 / 5 years
$50 / 5 years
$219 / year
Includes TSA PreCheck
Yes (it is PreCheck)
Yes
Yes
No — sold separately or bundled
Shoes, belt, light jacket stay on
Yes
Yes, via PreCheck
Yes, via PreCheck
Only if you also have PreCheck
Laptops and 3-1-1 liquids stay in the bag
Yes
Yes, via PreCheck
Yes, via PreCheck
Only if you also have PreCheck
In-person appointment required
Yes — enrollment center visit
Yes — interview, or Enrollment on Arrival
Yes — interview with U.S. and Canadian officers
Yes — biometric enrollment, often at the airport
Availability
200+ U.S. airports, 90+ airlines
Major U.S. international arrival airports
U.S.–Canada land, marine, and air ports of entry
Roughly 55 U.S. airports plus stadiums
Changes what you can pack
No
No
No
No
Which program fits your travel
You only fly domestically — TSA PreCheck alone covers it. It is the cheapest program that changes the checkpoint itself, and it is the benefit most credit cards reimburse.
You leave the country even once every few years — Global Entry is the better buy at $120. It includes full TSA PreCheck benefits, so you are paying about $9 a year more for expedited customs on the way home.
You cross into Canada regularly — NEXUS is $50 for five years and carries both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck benefits — the lowest-cost path to PreCheck if you qualify and can reach an enrollment center.
Your home airport has long ID-check lines — CLEAR+ shortens the document-check wait but does not replace screening. It pays off mainly when paired with PreCheck at a busy airport, or when a card or airline status covers the fee.
You mostly want to bring more through security — No program changes the prohibited items list or the 3-1-1 liquids limit. Those rules apply identically in every lane.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NEXUS include TSA PreCheck and Global Entry?
Yes. Approved NEXUS members receive Global Entry kiosk privileges when entering the U.S. and a Known Traveler Number that provides TSA PreCheck benefits on domestic flights.
Why is NEXUS cheaper than Global Entry?
NEXUS is jointly administered by U.S. and Canadian authorities and priced at $50 for five years. The trade-off is that interviews are conducted at border-region enrollment centers, which is inconvenient for applicants who live far from Canada.
Can anyone apply for NEXUS?
Citizens and permanent residents of the United States and Canada may apply, along with some Mexican citizens who are Global Entry members. Both governments must approve the application.
Do all passengers in the car need NEXUS?
Yes. To use a dedicated NEXUS lane at a land border, every person in the vehicle must be an approved member.
Is TSA PreCheck or Global Entry better?
Global Entry costs $120 for five years and includes TSA PreCheck benefits, while PreCheck alone runs $76.75–$85 for five years. If you take even one international trip in that window, Global Entry is the better value. If you never fly internationally, PreCheck is enough.
Does CLEAR replace TSA PreCheck?
No. CLEAR verifies your identity so you can skip the document-check line, but you still go through the same physical screening. Without PreCheck you will remove shoes, belts, laptops, and liquids as usual.
Do any of these programs change what you can bring on a plane?
No. Prohibited items stay prohibited and the 3-1-1 liquids rule still applies in every lane. The programs change how you are screened, not what may pass through the checkpoint.
What is the cheapest way to get TSA PreCheck benefits?
NEXUS at $50 for five years is the least expensive program that carries PreCheck benefits, though it requires eligibility for U.S.–Canada travel and an interview with officers from both countries. Many travel credit cards also reimburse a PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
Can you be pulled aside for extra screening with PreCheck?
Yes. TSA officers may run additional screening at any time, and PreCheck eligibility is confirmed per flight rather than guaranteed. Random and unpredictable measures are part of the layered security approach.