NEXUS Trusted Traveler Program: Eligibility, Benefits, and Denial

The NEXUS trusted traveler program is a joint U.S.–Canada membership that lets pre-approved, low-risk travelers cross the border faster by land, air, and sea. Membership costs $120, lasts five years, and requires independent approval from both U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).¹ It also bundles in TSA PreCheck security lanes and Global Entry airport processing, which is why it is often considered the strongest value in the trusted traveler space.

Who Can Apply

Eligibility is limited to five groups: U.S. citizens, Canadian citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents who have held that status for at least three years, Canadian permanent residents who have held that status for at least three years, and Mexican nationals who are current members of Mexico’s Viajero Confiable program.² If you received your green card or Canadian PR card less than three years ago, you have to wait.

Both countries vet your application independently. If either one denies you, you are out, and you will not necessarily be told which agency denied you or why in detail.¹

Children

Minors can apply, but a parent or legal guardian has to consent and be physically present at the interview. The parent does not need to be a NEXUS member.³ As of October 2024, a child is exempt from the $120 fee only if a parent or legal guardian applies at the same time or is already an active member. Otherwise the child pays full price.⁴

What Membership Actually Gets You

NEXUS is really three benefits stacked together.

Land Borders

Members use dedicated NEXUS lanes at U.S.–Canada land crossings, skipping the regular queue. There are no special vehicle requirements entering the U.S., but every person in the vehicle has to hold a valid NEXUS card.⁵ A non-member passenger sends the whole vehicle to the regular lanes and can cost you your membership.

Airports

Coming into Canada from anywhere in the world, you can use NEXUS kiosks and eGates at designated Canadian airports. Coming into the U.S., your NEXUS card works with Global Entry processing at Canadian preclearance locations. At other U.S. ports of entry you present your passport or permanent resident card instead.⁶

NEXUS also includes TSA PreCheck at airports across the United States and its territories. That benefit is available to U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and Canadian citizens.¹

By Boat

Arriving by vessel, the operator calls a Telephone Reporting Centre between 30 minutes and 4 hours before reaching Canada and reports everyone on board along with any goods. A report number is issued as proof of clearance, and if no officer is waiting at the landing site, you may continue to your destination.⁷

The card itself is also a valid travel document under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, so it can substitute for a passport at U.S.–Canada land and sea crossings.⁸

Cost, Term, and Renewal

The application fee is $120, non-refundable, paid by credit card or electronic bank transfer at submission.⁹ Older guides still reference a $50 fee, but that was replaced when CBP harmonized NEXUS pricing with its other trusted traveler programs.⁴

Membership lasts five years.¹ CBP and CBSA ask members to start the renewal process up to 364 days before expiration to avoid any lapse. Renewal is done through the same portal and costs another $120.¹⁰ A lost or stolen card costs $25 to replace; damaged cards are replaced free.¹¹

How the Application Works

Applications go through the Trusted Traveler Programs website at ttp.dhs.gov. Before you log in, have your documents together:

A valid passport or birth certificate as proof of citizenship¹²
A current driver’s license or recent utility bill as proof of residency
Five years of employment history with every month accounted for, whether by employer, self-employment, unemployment, retirement, or student status¹³
Five continuous years of residential addresses, with no gaps

The system rejects gaps in the employment and address history, so old resumes or tax returns are useful to have open.

After you submit, CBP and CBSA vet the application independently. Initial vetting typically takes about two weeks. If either agency flags something for further review, processing can stretch to 12–24 months.¹⁴ You either receive a denial or conditional approval, which is the go-ahead to schedule an interview.

The Interview

Officers from both CBP and CBSA question you about your travel patterns, border history, and reasons for applying. You pick one of three formats and stick with it start to finish:

A joint interview at one of 14 U.S. land enrollment centers, where both agencies handle their portion in the same visit.
A split interview at a Canadian land enrollment center (2 locations) followed by the corresponding U.S. center.
A two-step airport interview: the CBSA portion at a Canadian airport enrollment center (8 locations), then the CBP portion at a U.S. preclearance facility in a Canadian airport on a day you are ticketed to fly to the United States.¹⁵

At enrollment, CBP collects your fingerprints and an iris scan (used for identity verification at airport kiosks and eGates), and CBSA takes your card photo.¹⁶ Once both officers approve you, the card is produced and mailed.

What Can Get You Denied

CBP lists factors that can make an applicant ineligible. You may be denied if you:

Provided false or incomplete information on the application
Have any criminal conviction or pending charge, including misdemeanors like impaired driving
Have outstanding warrants in any country
Violated customs, immigration, or agriculture rules in any country, even once
Are under investigation by any law enforcement agency
Were denied a firearm purchase
Received a criminal pardon from any country
Are inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration law, even with an approved waiver
Cannot satisfy either agency that you are a low-risk traveler¹⁷

The pardon rule catches people off guard. In most legal contexts a pardon signals rehabilitation, but for NEXUS purposes CBP treats a pardon from any country as a potential disqualifier rather than a reset. A pardoned offense does not restore your eligibility the way you might expect.

The word “may” gives each agency room to weigh circumstances, but assume that any item on the list will trigger a close look at your file. A customs violation from a decade ago, a dismissed charge still in a database, or an undeclared apple at the border can all surface during review.

What Can Get You Kicked Out

Approval is not the finish line. Membership can be cancelled if an inspection reveals a violation of program terms or applicable law, and the agencies do not accept negligence or ignorance as an excuse.¹⁸ Common reasons members lose their cards:

A criminal conviction, including impaired driving, without a pardon
Letting a non-member use your card, or helping a non-member through a NEXUS kiosk
Carrying commercial goods of any kind, including promotional samples
Carrying $10,000 CAD or more in currency or monetary instruments
Failing to carry your NEXUS card when using NEXUS lanes or kiosks
Having a passenger in your vehicle or boat who is not a NEXUS member
Failing to carry required immigration documents such as a visa, work permit, or electronic Travel Authorization

Waiting Periods After Revocation

How long before you can reapply depends on what happened:

Permanent bar: human smuggling or trafficking, drug offenses, weapons offenses, child exploitation offenses, or currency offenses under criminal law
10 years: immigration violations recorded in government systems, summary criminal offenses (measured from when the sentence ended), or multiple violations of program rules
1 to 7 years: customs seizures, carrying undeclared currency of $10,000 CAD or more, or importing prohibited goods, animals, or weapons
2 years: helping a non-member enter through NEXUS or transferring your card
1 year: failing to declare goods exceeding personal exemptions, carrying commercial goods, not carrying proper documentation, or failing to update your information¹⁸

If You Are Denied or Revoked

You will receive a written notice with the reason. If you believe the decision rests on inaccurate or incomplete information, you can request reconsideration through the TTP website. The request must be in English and should include the date and stated reason for the denial, a summary of the circumstances, and court disposition documents for any arrests or convictions, including expunged ones.¹⁹

Appeals go to a CBP Ombudsman. There is no guaranteed timeline, and the Ombudsman has broad discretion. Reconsideration requests do best when they include documents that directly contradict the stated reason, such as proof that charges were dismissed or that a record belongs to someone with a similar name. Vague appeals without supporting documents rarely succeed.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. NEXUS: Frequent Travel Between Canada and the U.S.
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Canada Border Services Agency. Apply for, Renew or Replace a NEXUS Card: Who Is Eligible
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Children
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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. Using Global Entry Card in the SENTRI or NEXUS Lanes
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
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Canada Border Services Agency. How to Use NEXUS to Enter Canada
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. NEXUS – Non-Refundable Application Fee
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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. Lost, Stolen or Damaged NEXUS, SENTRI, or Global Entry Card
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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
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How Long Does It Take to Process a Global Entry, SENTRI, NEXUS Application
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Canada Border Services Agency. CBSA to Reopen All NEXUS Airport Enrolment Centres
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Canada Border Services Agency. Executive Summary NEXUS Privacy Impact Assessment
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. NEXUS Eligibility
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Canada Border Services Agency. What Happens if You Lose Your NEXUS Membership
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trusted Traveler Program Denials