Only Apply For SENTRI If You Live In These 4 States... [2024]

What are the benefits of SENTRI?

The acronynm SENTRI stands for Secure Electronic Network for Travelers' Rapid Inspection.

The main purpose of SENTRI is to reduce your waittime entering into the United States by car at the southern border.

Later, I found out that SENTRI includes some of the benefits of NEXUS. If you enter the United States by car from Canada, a SENTRI membership allows you to use the NEXUS lanes.

Since NEXUS includes both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck®, you pretty much get access to four trusted traveler programs when you have SENTRI.

This is why I initially thought SENTRI may be the best trusted traveler program for US travelers.

What is the cost of SENTRI?

The price tag for SENTRI is the highest of the trusted traveler programs.

The cost of SENTRI is $122.25, which lasts five years.

This is in comparison to the $100 you'd pay for Global Entry, the $78 for TSA PreCheck®, and the $50 for NEXUS.

Even though CLEAR isn't technically a trusted traveler program since it's not provided through the US government, I still include it on the topic. CLEAR costs $189 and only lasts one year. If CLEAR is included, then SENTRI would be the second most expensive program.

However, think of the cost of SENTRI like this: since you are able to use NEXUS, Global Entry, and TSA PreCheck®, you are getting four programs for the price of one. Assuming equal value for each, this makes each program about $30.57.

Now, stretch that $30.57 for each over five years. Each program would effectively cost you about 51 cents per month. That, really, is the epitome of affordable!

How to apply for SENTRI

The application process for SENTRI is the same as the other trusted traveler programs.

To apply for SENTRI, go to the official website for the Department of Homeland Security. You will have to pay the $122.25 application fee at this stage in the process. This is the first part.

Once you apply, you will have to wait for conditional approval. If you are notified by email or physical mail you are conditionally approved, you will then have to complete the second part of the application process.

The second part of the application process requires you show up in person at an enrollment center, where you will provide your passport, an additional form of ID, proof of vehicle insurance, and vehicle registration.

At the time of this writing, it will take about 10-12 months for applicants to be fully approved for SENTRI.

Why only four states?

The enrollment centers, where you must show up in person to complete the second part of the application, are only located in four states: Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

In this context, consider yourself lucky in you live in one of those four states, because you truly have the best trusted traveler program for American travelers out there!

If you couple SENTRI with CLEAR, you're unstoppable!

So, if you live in a different state, there is hardly any point to apply for SENTRI unless you feel like driving or flying down to one of the four states. For me, someone who lives in Michigan, it's not personally worth it for me!

For those who don't live in the four states memtioned earlier, go with NEXUS instead. It's effectively just as good-- and it costs considerably less than SENTRI!

Conclusion

SENTRI includes NEXUS-- and NEXUS includes Global Entry and TSA PreCheck®. By transitive property, SENTRI includes all the trusted traveler programs (except FAST).

If you live in Arizona, California, New Mexico, or TEXAS, then SENTRI is the real ultimate travel hack when it comes to domestic traveling.

If you live in the other 46 states, then I'd recommend going with NEXUS instead.


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