Passport Book/Passport Card/Sentri and Ready Lane (airports, car)

[watnow78]

Okay i have a passport book. but i heard having a passport card will get you across the boarder much faster. Is this true?

What is a Sentri Pass used for?

Can you use the Ready Lane to croo the boarder by Walking or Just Driving across?


Im so confused!!!!

[Mike930]

I have the passport book and card as well as SENTRI. Before SENTRI, I used the card just because it was more convenient to carry a card. I've only walked across so I can only give you that perspective. I'm not sure if there is a difference between the book and card.

With the ready lane, you walk up to a machine and put your card in the reader. It's much faster that it used to be but the wait can still be long.

SENTRI is a whole different thing. You have to apply, go through a background check and interview to get it. It's a "trusted traveler" document that basically allows you to go to the head of the line. I applied and got the Global Entry card which has the SENTRI on it. The GE card is mainly used for air travel.

When you walk across the border, there is a line for the ready line, general public and SENTRI. The SENTRI line is usually empty and I usually walk to the front and walk across in five minutes as opposed to waiting hours in the regular line. The most I've had to wait is 15 minutes with 6 people in front of me.

The thing with SENTRI is that they are SO strict. I've known people that were rejected because they had a DUI or drug charge 20 years ago. When I went for my interview in 2012, they were giving some guy a hard time about a DUI from 1987.

Hope this helps.

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by Mike930

The thing with SENTRI is that they are SO strict. I've known people that were rejected because they had a DUI or drug charge 20 years ago. When I went for my interview in 2012, they were giving some guy a hard time about a DUI from 1987.

Hope this helps.

Yep, a DWI in Texas from 1999 when I was 18 disqualified me (young people, your past catches up with you). They are extremely strict with SENTRI (trusted traveler fast pass).

I haven't crossed San Ysidro North bound in over a year, but I cross at Otay READY lane on Sunday afternoon/evenings regularly and having the passport card (which will get you through the Ready lane but not SENTRI lane) gets me across in 30 mins to an an hour on average, I've never waited more that 1 hour and 15 mins.

I've waited in the Otay regular lane before on Sunday afternoon/evenings and that thing can take 1-2
hours on average. It is always shorter than the Ready lane, but moves horribly slow you will want to pull your hair out. I think it only feeds into 4 single booths where as the Ready feeds into 7-8 booths 4 of which are double booths.

My suggestion is that if you don't qualify for SENTRI, get a passport card (which can be used in the READY car or pedestrian lane) or a motorcycle/scooter to get across faster.

You can see the wait times right now for yourself. http://bwt.cbp.gov/

[echo42]

Originally Posted by watnow78

Okay i have a passport book. but i heard having a passport card will get you across the boarder much faster. Is this true?

What is a Sentri Pass used for?

Can you use the Ready Lane to croo the boarder by Walking or Just Driving across?


Im so confused!!!!

Yes, the passport card is quicker because it has an RFID chip in it. Having the card with the RFID chip makes you eligible for the Ready Lane. A passport book does not have the chip, thus it can't be used in a Ready Lane.

There are generally three classes of border crossers right now:
Regular-longest waits
Sentri-shortest waits
Ready Lane-less than regular and longer than sentri

This excludes programs at airports.

[moved]

But now the Sentri Line gets back up during the day, and the police are there to direct traffic. With only those two lanes, I think maybe in a year, the lines will be backed up for close to two hours, since I heard more people are getting Sentri.