Mar 3, 2013, 10:24 pm
Last edit by: TWA884
Current NEXUS Information messages can be found in the following thread:
The NEXUS Information Thread
The NEXUS Information Thread
Welcome to the Travel Safety/Security Trusted Travelers Forum Nexus Information Wiki! This resource will appear at the top of every page within this thread to help users learn more about this program.
About NEXUS
NEXUS is designed to expedite the border clearance process for low-risk, pre-approved travellers into Canada and the United States.
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) are cooperating in this joint venture to simplify border crossing for members while enhancing security.
Program benefits
If you are approved to participate in NEXUS, you will receive a membership identification card to use when entering Canada or the United States at all designated NEXUS air, land and marine ports of entry.
Membership will enable airline passengers to save time by:
- using automated self-serve kiosks in dedicated areas at designated international airports;
- using NEXUS/SENTRI lanes at land crossings when/where available. NEXUS lanes entering Canada will likely have a constant red traffic signal. This is to discourage non-NEXUS members from using the lane. Canada-bound NEXUS land crossing operating hours. All occupants must have NEXUS cards when using NEXUS lane entering Canada. At some locations, the NEXUS lane, the inspection booth is not staffed but there should be a call button. When entering US in a NEXUS/SENTRI lane, all occupants must carry either NEXUS, Global Entry, or SENTRI cards (or any combination thereof). Notable exception is Whirlpool Bridge which requires a NEXUS card to open the toll gate on the Canadian side to cross to the US..
- As of 17 MAY 2017 - NEXUS members no longer need to complete a paper CBSA Declaration Card (Form E311) when using a NEXUS self-serve kiosk at any Canadian airport where NEXUS is available. (Refer to post #10421)
- using the Trusted Traveller Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) Security Line at major and select medium-sized Canadian airports to expedite airport pre boarding security screening. For detailed information, please visit the CATSA Web site.
Join NEXUS
Here are the steps for becoming a member. There is a non-refundable processing fee of CAN$50 or US$50 per applicant for a five-year membership card.
About NEXUS
Eligibility
How to apply
Enrolment process
Key points about the program as found by forum members:
- NEXUS cardholders must advise of ANY changes to their vital information such as passport numbers/validity, visa status, legal names, primary residence, criminal convictions, and employment if it impacts your eligibility in the program.
- It's normal to find the first in-person NEXUS interview to be months into the future, but a little patience and regular checks on the TTP website almost always yields an interview date much sooner.
- Each person who wants to participate in the NEXUS program must fill out a separate application form. There is no fee for applicants under the age of 18.
- If traveling with non-NEXUS family members NEXUS cardholders are required to use the regular customs lines.
- There is a zero tolerance policy and membership can be terminated for infractions including not having your NEXUS card on you and using the NEXUS lane and not declaring items on your customs declaration card, though members have reported some leniency being granted for such infractions in the past.
- Private companies may offer services for submitting your application and charge an additional processing fee but these extra charges are not part of the official NEXUS application fee. Expedited services offered by such companies will not assist in speeding up the application process.
Updating Passport with Canada for NEXUS
As per CBSA website, updates to passport information can be handled on TTP.
Please note that NEXUS members are not required to report to an Enrolment Centre to update or change their passport information with the CBSA.
Some FT members don't trust instructions provided by CBSA and recommend the following:
Call the Canadian Processing Centre with responsibility for residents of the United States:
After going through the phone tree to reach a Nexus representative, advise them that you need to update your US passport with Canada.
The representative will give you an email address and instructions to scan your updated passport picture page (include your trusted traveler number on the scan) and then email it to a particular email address. I was advised to put the representative's name in the email message so that he could process the update on the Canadian side. He confirmed that any passport update in TTP does not reach Canada. NOTE: FT members have been able to enter Canada without any issues by updating passport online only.
He specifically requested that only the telephone number be posted (and not the email address).
In case the telephone number doesn't work, here's the webpage where the phone number is posted: Canada Border Services Agency - NEXUS - General Information
- 800-842-7647 --- Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Eastern Time)
After going through the phone tree to reach a Nexus representative, advise them that you need to update your US passport with Canada.
The representative will give you an email address and instructions to scan your updated passport picture page (include your trusted traveler number on the scan) and then email it to a particular email address. I was advised to put the representative's name in the email message so that he could process the update on the Canadian side. He confirmed that any passport update in TTP does not reach Canada. NOTE: FT members have been able to enter Canada without any issues by updating passport online only.
He specifically requested that only the telephone number be posted (and not the email address).
In case the telephone number doesn't work, here's the webpage where the phone number is posted: Canada Border Services Agency - NEXUS - General Information
US citizens/residents who have both Global Entry and NEXUS cards and who renew the Global Entry membership whilst their NEXUS card is active, will not be able to renew the NEXUS card until after it expires. The option to do so disappears from the TTP website.
Dear mxzblftspk,
Your NEXUS membership is not set to expire until July 11 2016.
As an approved NEXUS member, you added Global Entry for an additional $100. When you completed your Global Entry application, you received a Global Entry card. When you activated the Global Entry Card, your NEXUS Card was deactivated and the option to renew NEXUS was removed from your account.
If you wish to renew NEXUS, you will have to wait for your NEXUS membership to expire. Once it expires, you will have the option within your TTP online account to renew NEXUS. After you follow all of the steps to become a NEXUS member again, including the completion of an interview at a NEXUS Enrollment Center near the Canadian border, you will receive a new NEXUS card and will have Global Entry benefits at no additional cost.
When your Global Entry account expires 5 years after your application, do not renew it. Global Entry benefits are included with your NEXUS membership.
It is our goal to provide you the best information we have in response to your question. If you follow the information provided in our response, and still need assistance, please reply to this email and we will investigate how we may further assist you.
Thank you again for contacting the CBP INFO Center.
Sincerely,
CBP INFO Center
Your NEXUS membership is not set to expire until July 11 2016.
As an approved NEXUS member, you added Global Entry for an additional $100. When you completed your Global Entry application, you received a Global Entry card. When you activated the Global Entry Card, your NEXUS Card was deactivated and the option to renew NEXUS was removed from your account.
If you wish to renew NEXUS, you will have to wait for your NEXUS membership to expire. Once it expires, you will have the option within your TTP online account to renew NEXUS. After you follow all of the steps to become a NEXUS member again, including the completion of an interview at a NEXUS Enrollment Center near the Canadian border, you will receive a new NEXUS card and will have Global Entry benefits at no additional cost.
When your Global Entry account expires 5 years after your application, do not renew it. Global Entry benefits are included with your NEXUS membership.
It is our goal to provide you the best information we have in response to your question. If you follow the information provided in our response, and still need assistance, please reply to this email and we will investigate how we may further assist you.
Thank you again for contacting the CBP INFO Center.
Sincerely,
CBP INFO Center
Archived: The NEXUS Information Thread
Oct 1, 2014, 10:45 am
#8731
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,607
Just received this email regarding new NEXUS kiosks. They will first appear in Ottawa.
Looks like the days of not having your NEXUS card on you are over. It will be needed to use the kiosk.
Dear NEXUS Member,
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is beginning to replace kiosks with new "next generation" kiosks to provide faster, more reliable and more efficient service in the air mode.
The installation of the new kiosks begins with Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa and will be phasing in to the rest of the Canadian airports that offer NEXUS by late October/early November.
The way you interact with the new kiosk has changed. Namely, you will now be required to insert your NEXUS membership card into the kiosk card reader.
For your reference, please refer to the following instructions when using the new kiosk:
Please have your NEXUS card ready;
Select language of choice before inserting your NEXUS card into the document reader;
When prompted, insert your NEXUS card into the document reader;
Ensure the card is face up (picture side) and fully inserted into the reader;
Leave the card in the reader until instructed to remove it;
You will receive audio instructions advising you to look into the mirror;
You will use the arrows located on the mirrors to adjust to ensure that you see both eyes;
Look into the mirror, moving slightly forward or backward until you see the circle centered between your eyes change from orange to green; and
Follow the instructions on the screen and answer the questions on the monitor.
We encourage you to visit the NEXUS website http://www.nexus.gc.ca for future updates.
We thank you for your continued participation in the NEXUS program and encourage you to share your experience using the new kiosks so that we are better positioned to facilitate your travel.
Please feel free to contact us by replying directly to this e-mail.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is beginning to replace kiosks with new "next generation" kiosks to provide faster, more reliable and more efficient service in the air mode.
The installation of the new kiosks begins with Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa and will be phasing in to the rest of the Canadian airports that offer NEXUS by late October/early November.
The way you interact with the new kiosk has changed. Namely, you will now be required to insert your NEXUS membership card into the kiosk card reader.
For your reference, please refer to the following instructions when using the new kiosk:
Please have your NEXUS card ready;
Select language of choice before inserting your NEXUS card into the document reader;
When prompted, insert your NEXUS card into the document reader;
Ensure the card is face up (picture side) and fully inserted into the reader;
Leave the card in the reader until instructed to remove it;
You will receive audio instructions advising you to look into the mirror;
You will use the arrows located on the mirrors to adjust to ensure that you see both eyes;
Look into the mirror, moving slightly forward or backward until you see the circle centered between your eyes change from orange to green; and
Follow the instructions on the screen and answer the questions on the monitor.
We encourage you to visit the NEXUS website http://www.nexus.gc.ca for future updates.
We thank you for your continued participation in the NEXUS program and encourage you to share your experience using the new kiosks so that we are better positioned to facilitate your travel.
Please feel free to contact us by replying directly to this e-mail.
Looks like the days of not having your NEXUS card on you are over. It will be needed to use the kiosk.
Oct 1, 2014, 11:15 am
#8732
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AC, VIPorter, Marriott LT Plat, HH Diamond
Posts: 368
I think you were always supposed to have it with you anyway. But what gets me is they start out by referring to "more efficient service". How is it more efficient to add the extra step of getting out the card and inserting it into the machine?
Oct 1, 2014, 11:20 am
#8733
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Platinum, SPG Gold
Posts: 61
I would guess it's more efficient to look up your record with the card and then perform the iris match, vs scanning your iris and comparing that to the many on file.
I hope "phase 2" is entering a customs declaration too like with GE so the whole process approaches paperless!
Link to the new kiosk information: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexu...erien-eng.html
I hope "phase 2" is entering a customs declaration too like with GE so the whole process approaches paperless!
Link to the new kiosk information: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexu...erien-eng.html
Oct 1, 2014, 11:30 am
#8734
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,607
It is, but we've seen an endless number of posts over the years about FTers tempting fate and seeing whether or not they'll be ok without the card.
I just wish they'd get GE machines and dump the retina process. Such a pain to move forward, to the side, back, etc.
I just wish they'd get GE machines and dump the retina process. Such a pain to move forward, to the side, back, etc.
Oct 1, 2014, 11:55 am
#8735
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 446
On a side note, Flyquiet should be pleased with the new colored circles for those with hearing impairments.
Oct 1, 2014, 11:58 am
#8736
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: San Francisco/Tel Aviv/YYZ
Programs: CO 1K-MM
Posts: 10,762
Maybe I'm a jerk, but I like when people tempt fate like that and hope they get caught and removed from the process. The less people in the NEXUS program, the quicker it is for me to get where I need to go! If they want to be as stupid as to use it without the card which is a clear violation of the program, then they'll get what they deserve.
I just wish they'd ditch the declaration card, save some trees.
Oct 1, 2014, 12:42 pm
#8737
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: YUL
Programs: AC SE (*A Gold), Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Hilton Gold, Amex Platinum / AP Reserve, NEXUS, Global Entry
Posts: 5,691
Bingo. It's similar to the requirement of having your frequent flyer card with you to enter a lounge. Why is it necessary when my boarding pass and frequent flyer number are perfectly capable of uniquely identifying me?
Oct 1, 2014, 12:45 pm
#8738
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 446
I realize this would have been some serious planning future planning on the government's part, but who knows.
I agree though that in it's current form, the card really doesn't do much that your eyes can't. I only said what I said earlier because people break the rules, even if they seem silly.
Oct 1, 2014, 12:55 pm
#8739
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: YUL
Programs: AC SE (*A Gold), Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Hilton Gold, Amex Platinum / AP Reserve, NEXUS, Global Entry
Posts: 5,691
What I'm wondering, and this is a bit of a stretch, but is it possible the biometric data is stored within the card? <uch like your picture is written to the chip inside your ePassport, and thus allowing the NEXUS kiosk to operate even if it's disconnected from some network?
To be entirely honest, I'm not sure I like the idea of having all that data on the card. I always figured it was some sort of unique identifier that associated the cardholder with the biometric data in some secure database...
Oct 1, 2014, 1:33 pm
#8740
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,665
My eye doctor gets to see my retina, thankfully not the Nexus machine. Your iris is much more accessible. The new Nexus machines are designed to make the scan more easily as it has an indicator for when you are in the right place "8. Look into the mirror, moving slightly forward or backward until you see the circle centered between your eyes change from orange to green;"
Oct 1, 2014, 1:56 pm
#8741
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 446
I can't find anything official, but this site suggests that "this [biometric data] is stored on your Nexus card along with the other details provided on your application form." (Scroll down to "What is biometric data?")
To be entirely honest, I'm not sure I like the idea of having all that data on the card. I always figured it was some sort of unique identifier that associated the cardholder with the biometric data in some secure database...
To be entirely honest, I'm not sure I like the idea of having all that data on the card. I always figured it was some sort of unique identifier that associated the cardholder with the biometric data in some secure database...
I'm just thinking this through though.. If someone does their interview at an office without an iris scan, they'll still be mailed a card. I'm starting to doubt my original post.
Oct 1, 2014, 5:07 pm
#8742
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHL
Programs: AA - Plat, HHonors - Diamond, IHG - Plat, Marriott - Gold, National - Exec, Amtrak - Select, NEXUS
Posts: 1,075
I seriously doubt the iris scan info is on the card - that would be silly to do, from a security standpoint. These cards are meant to be read at a distance of about 5 feet (at land crossings), so I would expect them to have a higher Tx power capability than the ePassports, which would be generally read at or close to zero distance. And the land crossings have no need for the iris scan data.
Thus the shielding sleeve we are supplied with our cards. I'm not a tin foil hat kind of guy, and I use my sleeve since I carry my NEXUS card in my wallet at all times.
I would expect all iris scan data is on a secured NEXUS mothership server somewhere (in Canada, thus the difficulty in getting an iris scan on US soil). I further guess that the iris scan data is sent from the kiosk when read, and the reply from the mothership is the identity info for the person whose iris scan matches.
That likely requires quite a bit of processing power - comparing a random/unknown iris scan until a match is found. Lots of bits in that iris scan data, I think.
More speculation from me: Reading the card in the new kiosks triggers a query to the mothership using the identity data from the card, and the response is the iris scan data for that person. The unique identifier can be as simple as our PASS ID (along with a checksum of some sort), which has many fewer bits than an iris scan.
Once the kiosk has local iris scan data this would allow the kiosk perform the iris scan matching locally. This schema would require significantly less CPU cycles on the query side and could allow multiple retries at the kiosk (for poor or non-matching scans) without having to trigger a new query to the mothership.
Or, at least this is how I would do it if I designed the system's block diagram. It has been over 10 years since grad school, so I'm a bit out of practice on the computer science involved.
Thus the shielding sleeve we are supplied with our cards. I'm not a tin foil hat kind of guy, and I use my sleeve since I carry my NEXUS card in my wallet at all times.
I would expect all iris scan data is on a secured NEXUS mothership server somewhere (in Canada, thus the difficulty in getting an iris scan on US soil). I further guess that the iris scan data is sent from the kiosk when read, and the reply from the mothership is the identity info for the person whose iris scan matches.
That likely requires quite a bit of processing power - comparing a random/unknown iris scan until a match is found. Lots of bits in that iris scan data, I think.
More speculation from me: Reading the card in the new kiosks triggers a query to the mothership using the identity data from the card, and the response is the iris scan data for that person. The unique identifier can be as simple as our PASS ID (along with a checksum of some sort), which has many fewer bits than an iris scan.
Once the kiosk has local iris scan data this would allow the kiosk perform the iris scan matching locally. This schema would require significantly less CPU cycles on the query side and could allow multiple retries at the kiosk (for poor or non-matching scans) without having to trigger a new query to the mothership.
Or, at least this is how I would do it if I designed the system's block diagram. It has been over 10 years since grad school, so I'm a bit out of practice on the computer science involved.
Oct 1, 2014, 7:49 pm
#8743
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: SEA, or BOS, or MUC, or other places (probably connecting). "Detroit, Michigan is in the Eastern time zone."
Programs: DL PM/1MM, AS 100K, NEXUS/GE, CLEAR, Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,202
It would also be difficult to do for people who got their cards before they had their iris scans, like me; that would require the cards to be rewritable, which is really unlikely from a security standpoint.
Oct 1, 2014, 8:00 pm
#8744
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: YUL
Programs: AC SE (*A Gold), Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Hilton Gold, Amex Platinum / AP Reserve, NEXUS, Global Entry
Posts: 5,691
Based on the last few posts and the fact that the cards are issued in the US, maybe the only biometric data embedded are the fingerprints and photo. Makes me feel a little better...
Oct 2, 2014, 7:12 am
#8745
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: AC E35K, NEXUS
Posts: 4,368
Maybe I'm a jerk, but I like when people tempt fate like that and hope they get caught and removed from the process. The less people in the NEXUS program, the quicker it is for me to get where I need to go! If they want to be as stupid as to use it without the card which is a clear violation of the program, then they'll get what they deserve.
On a side note, Flyquiet should be pleased with the new colored circles for those with hearing impairments.
On a side note, Flyquiet should be pleased with the new colored circles for those with hearing impairments.