US citizens and citizens of many countries have to frequently travel back and forth between the major cities of the US and other big cities of the world. For such frequent travelers, waiting for long hours to get clearance from the customs authority is a nightmare.
The United States has a global entry program under which US citizens and citizens of countries like the Netherlands can get faster approval from the customs authorities. If you are a frequent traveler and your travel involves your family, a lot of luggage, etc., then you might need the help of professional lawyers who can hasten your clearance at US borders.
There are law firms that assist frequent travelers in complying with the norms of Government agencies. The global entry membership has to be renewed after some years. A law firm like Abidy Law Firm can guide you and help you with the renewal process.
4 Ways In Which A lawyer Can Help You With Global Entry And Its Renewal
Gives You Finer Details About The Program
You might have heard about the Global Entry program; however, reading through all the documents can be time-consuming and difficult to understand. Here a lawyer can be of great help. He can tell you the exact eligibility criteria to qualify for the program. Also, he can clarify which legal documents will suffice when making an online application for the first time.
If you require other details about the program, like whether your family members need to make separate applications for renewal or not. You may get a permit with an “O” or an “X” marked on it. These signs could mean different things like a fingerprint mismatch or another discrepancy. In such cases, you may need to meet the officials. In all such cases, a lawyer can help you out.
Hiring a professional company to guide you with your application and renewal process will give you answers to all your queries and resolve any doubts that you might have had.
It Will Save Time And Money
Membership renewal costs money; you have to pay about $100 every time you want a renewal. Thus, you should be very sure of what details to fill in and how you should fill in the details. If your request for renewal gets rejected, you will have to apply again. Thus, it makes sense to hire a lawyer to help you with the renewal process.
Also, the fees once paid for the renewal process do not get refunded; hence you have to be very sure when you are making the application for renewal.
Smooth Interview Experience
Most people dread the rigorous and lengthy interview at the customs office. However, an applicant for renewal of the Global Entry Program might not need to undertake the interview process. However, if you do have to face the interview, a professional law firm can help you with the entire process.
An interview might require you to give information about a police complaint that had been filed against you for breaking a traffic signal sometime in the past. You have to be extremely careful while handling such questions. You have to convince the customs authorities that you will not be a potential threat to the safety and security of the country in the near future.
Also, there might be a problem with your fingerprint or your documents. If you have ever been caught by the customs authorities for violating the currency norms, you might be questioned about it. If you were ever seen traveling with any banned items like some drug composition which is prohibited in the US, you might be liable to give an explanation.
Such questions can be daunting, and it is easy for an ordinary citizen to get confused in such scenarios. Hence, it is best if you go well prepared. Have a lawyer draft your answers for you; this will ensure that you give precise and relevant information and save yourself from getting into more significant trouble.
Proper Guidance In Case Of Trouble With Customs Authorities
Once you have hired a professional law firm to help you with your global entry renewal process, they can guide you in case of any trouble you might have in the future. For instance, if your luggage has items that violate the “rules of origin’ norms for goods. That is, if the goods are originally from a country whose goods are forbidden in the US, your luggage can be detained.
Again, if your luggage has items like paintings that are contrary to the intellectual rights norms of the country, then also your luggage can be detained.
In such cases, you might have to deal with a lot of paperwork within a stipulated time to free your luggage from the authorities. A law firm will be able to deal with the forms and applications that will help you to get back your luggage from the customs authorities.
At times, entering a country with certain goods makes you liable to pay tariffs. For some goods, the amount to be paid to the authorities depends upon the valuation of the goods. If you want to know precisely the amount of tariff to be paid, you can take help from legal agencies.
Conclusion
Traveling internationally and getting past the customs authorities with little hassle is desirable for most travelers. At times you might get into trouble for innocent mistakes like carrying a food item that contains chemical substances that are banned in a specific country.
Sometimes your application for Global entry might keep getting rejected because of some inadvertent error like filling in details incorrectly or not updating some new information in the records etc.
You might also get into trouble with the customs authorities if your pet does not meet the biosafety standards of the country. In all such situations, a professional lawyer can help you trace these mistakes and deal with such problems in a hassle-free manner.
