How to Get a NEXUS Card: Eligibility, Application, and Interview

To get a NEXUS card, you apply online through the Trusted Traveler Programs website, pay a $120 non-refundable fee, pass background checks by both U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency, and complete an in-person interview where officers collect your fingerprints and iris scans. The card is valid for five years and gives you dedicated lanes at U.S.–Canada land crossings, expedited airport processing, TSA PreCheck, and Global Entry kiosk access.

Confirm You’re Eligible First

NEXUS is open to citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States or Canada. Mexican nationals enrolled in Mexico’s Viajero Confiable program are also eligible.¹ Both governments must approve you independently. A denial by either country blocks the membership.

Several things will disqualify an applicant:

Any criminal conviction or pending criminal charge, including outstanding warrants and DUI.
Past violations of customs, immigration, or agriculture laws in any country.
Being the subject of an ongoing investigation by any federal, state, or local law enforcement agency.
Providing inaccurate or incomplete information on the application.
Inability to satisfy CBP or CBSA that you are a low-risk traveler.

There is no time limit after which an old conviction stops mattering. A decades-old offense can still lead to denial.¹ If you have any criminal record, gather your court disposition documents before you apply; you will likely need them.

Gather Your Documents and History Before You Start

The application asks for a lot, and pulling it together from memory is where most people make mistakes. Have everything on hand before you log in.

For identity and citizenship, U.S. citizens need a passport, birth certificate, or other proof of citizenship. If you want Global Entry benefits included with your NEXUS membership, a valid passport is required. Lawful permanent residents must provide their permanent resident card, and the name on the card must match the name on the application profile. The card must have a machine-readable zone.²

You also need a complete five-year history of your employment and addresses, with no gaps. For each job, list exact start and end dates, the company name, phone number, and supervisor details. For each address, give the full street address, city, state or province, and postal code. A status bar on the application screen tracks whether the timeline is complete.³ If you were a student during any of that window, list the schools. The form also asks about previous names or aliases.

Small discrepancies between what you enter and what your documents show can slow processing. It’s worth checking each date against a record rather than guessing.

Submit the Application and Pay the Fee

Applications go through the Department of Homeland Security’s Trusted Traveler Programs website. You’ll first create a Login.gov account, the authentication system used across federal agencies. After signing in, you select NEXUS on the TTP site and start the form.⁴

Before submitting, you pay the $120 non-refundable fee by credit card or electronic bank transfer. The fee is not refunded if your application is denied.⁵ Once you click submit, both governments begin their background checks.

What Happens While You Wait

Initial vetting usually finishes within about two weeks. If the automated check raises no flags, you get conditional approval and can schedule your interview immediately. If your application is pulled for manual review, that review currently takes between 12 and 24 months before you receive either conditional approval or a denial.⁶ Check your TTP dashboard regularly; email notifications go out when your status changes.

Interview scheduling is a separate wait. Even after conditional approval, an open appointment slot can take weeks depending on which enrollment center you pick and current demand.

The Interview

Once you’re conditionally approved, schedule an in-person interview at an enrollment center through the TTP website. Centers are located at land border crossings across the northern border, including sites in New York, Michigan, Washington, Vermont, Maine, Montana, Minnesota, and North Dakota, along with locations on the Canadian side.⁷

Bring the original versions of every document you submitted: your passport, birth certificate or permanent resident card, and driver’s license. If you plan to use NEXUS at land crossings, bring the registration and title for the vehicle you’ll drive across. Parents applying with a child should bring proof of custody or guardianship.

Two officers run the interview, one from CBP and one from CBSA. They verify your identity documents, confirm the details in your application, and ask about your travel patterns and reasons for applying. Plan on roughly 30 minutes. At the end, they collect your fingerprints and iris scans, which are used later at NEXUS kiosks and iris scanners.

Getting the Card and Using It

After both agencies grant final approval, CBP mails your NEXUS card to the address on file. It’s valid for five years from the date of approval.⁸ You may need to activate it through your TTP dashboard before first use.

What the card gets you:

Dedicated NEXUS lanes at designated northern-border land crossings, including Niagara Falls, Detroit, Blaine (WA), and Champlain (NY).⁹
NEXUS kiosks at Canadian airports for expedited entry into Canada.
Global Entry kiosks when entering the United States, including through Canadian Preclearance airports.⁷
TSA PreCheck at U.S. airports for U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and Canadian citizens. Enter your PASS ID (your membership number) as the Known Traveler Number when booking flights or in your airline frequent-flyer profile.¹⁰

At $120 for five years, NEXUS is cheaper than standalone Global Entry ($100 for five years) or TSA PreCheck ($78 for five years), and includes benefits of both for cross-border travelers.

Applying for a Child

Children under 18 can apply for NEXUS. If a parent or legal guardian submits a concurrent application or already has an active membership, the child’s $120 fee is waived. Otherwise the child pays the full $120.¹¹ Bring proof of custody or guardianship to the child’s interview.

Renewing Later

NEXUS doesn’t renew automatically. CBP and CBSA recommend starting your renewal up to 364 days before your card expires.¹² Renewal goes through the same TTP site and costs $120, the same as a new application.¹¹ A new interview may be required depending on your circumstances. Filing before your current card expires generally lets you keep using your benefits while the renewal is processed.

If You’re Denied

A denial comes with a written explanation in your TTP account. If you think the decision was based on inaccurate or incomplete information, you can file a reconsideration request by logging in and clicking “Request Reconsideration” in the Program Memberships section of your dashboard.¹³

The request goes to the CBP Ombudsman and should be in English. Include the date and reason for denial as shown in your notification letter, a written summary explaining any incident or arrest, and court disposition documents in PDF format for every arrest or conviction, including those that have been expunged. You can attach other supporting documents in PDF, DOCX, DOC, PNG, JPEG, or GIF format.¹³

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. NEXUS Eligibility
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Programs Application – Documents Page
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Programs – Employment and History Requirements
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Department of Homeland Security. Official Trusted Traveler Program Website
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Non-Refundable Application Fee
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Department of Homeland Security. NEXUS – Frequent Travel Between Canada and the U.S.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. NEXUS
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Canada Border Services Agency. Apply for, Renew or Replace a NEXUS Card
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Land Border Crossings With NEXUS Lanes
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. TSA PreCheck
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Federal Register. Increase in the NEXUS Application Fee and Change in the NEXUS Application Fee for Certain Minors
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How to Renew Your NEXUS Membership
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Application Denial