Updated November 11, 2026

How to apply for NEXUS: steps, fee, status and conditional approval

To apply for NEXUS, submit an online application through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) portal using a Login.gov account. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) charge a non-refundable application processing fee per adult for a five-year membership (listed on the DHS TTP and CBSA NEXUS fee pages), while eligible children under 18 apply for free. Both countries must approve your background check before you get conditional approval and book your in-person interview.

Who is eligible to apply for NEXUS?

NEXUS is a joint program run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. To qualify, you must be admissible to both the United States and Canada and belong to one of these groups:

• U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents
• Canadian citizens and Canadian lawful permanent residents
• Mexican nationals who are members of Mexico's trusted traveler program, Viajero Confiable

What disqualifies you from NEXUS?

Both the United States and Canada must approve your application. If either CBP or the CBSA denies your file, you cannot join NEXUS.

According to CBP, you may be found ineligible if you fit any of these categories:

• You provide false or incomplete information on your application.
• You have been convicted of any criminal offense or have pending criminal charges or outstanding warrants in any country, including driving under the influence (DUI).
• You have received a criminal pardon from any country.
• You have been found in violation of any customs, immigration or agriculture laws or regulations in any country.
• You are the subject of an ongoing investigation by any federal, state or local law enforcement agency.
• You have been denied for the purchase of a firearm.
• You are inadmissible to the United States under immigration regulations, including applicants who hold approved waivers of inadmissibility or parole documentation.
• You cannot satisfy CBP or the CBSA of your low-risk status.

NEXUS application fee and rules for children

On October 1, 2024, the NEXUS application processing fee increased per adult for a five-year membership, and the exact amount in U.S. currency is listed on the DHS Trusted Traveler Programs and CBSA NEXUS pages. The fee is non-refundable, even if your application is denied. For a breakdown of how that compares to other border programs, see our guide on NEXUS vs Global Entry.

Every traveling family member, including infants, needs their own separate application and their own NEXUS card to use NEXUS lanes. If you are under 18, you must have consent from a parent or legal guardian to participate.

Children under 18 are admitted free of charge. The CBSA specifies that the application fee for an applicant under 18 is waived if their parent or legal guardian is already a NEXUS member or is applying at the same time.

All payments must be made in U.S. currency through the TTP portal. Accepted payment methods include:

• Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diner's Club or JCB
• Direct transfer from a bank account (U.S. banks only)

What you need before starting your NEXUS application

The DHS Trusted Traveler Programs portal estimates that the online NEXUS form takes an average of 40 minutes to complete. Before you log in, gather your personal history and physical documents so your entries match what you will bring to your interview.

You will need to enter five full years of history without gaps:

• An active email address (to create your Login.gov account) and phone numbers
• Address history for the past 5 years
• Employment history for the past 5 years
• International travel history for the past 5 years
• Vehicle information (if you plan on driving across the border from Mexico into the United States)
• Your existing PASSID (membership number), if you have ever applied to Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST before

Documents required to apply and bring to your NEXUS interview (CBP and CBSA)

Step-by-step: how to submit your NEXUS application on TTP

The CBSA no longer accepts paper application forms for NEXUS. Every applicant must apply online through the U.S. CBP Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) system.

Do not pay a third-party company to file your form. The CBSA warns that for-profit third-party services do not speed up processing and can result in extra charges beyond the government application processing fee, processing delays, or your membership being denied. You remain legally responsible for every answer on the form even if someone else types it in.

Follow these steps to apply:

• Step 1: Review the privacy statements and terms. Before leaving the CBSA page or starting on TTP, review Canada's privacy statement, the U.S. Privacy Act statement, the FBI privacy statements, and the NEXUS terms and conditions.
• Step 2: Create a Login.gov account. Go to the DHS Trusted Traveler Programs website and select NEXUS. You will be directed to Login.gov, the shared U.S. government authentication platform, to create an account or sign in.
• Step 3: Set up your TTP profile. Once signed in to Login.gov, you are redirected back to the TTP portal. If you previously applied for any CBP Trusted Traveler program, enter your PASSID (found on the back upper-left corner of an old card or on past notification letters) so you do not create a duplicate record.
• Step 4: Fill out the NEXUS form. Enter your citizenship and admissibility documents, your 5-year address, employment and international travel history, and your eligibility disclosures. Check every date and document number against your physical records.
• Step 5: Pay the fee and submit. Pay the application processing fee in U.S. currency by credit card or U.S. bank transfer, as listed on the DHS TTP fee page. If you are applying for a family, create a separate TTP login and submit a separate form for each person.

Dual US and Canada risk assessment and processing times

After you submit your application on the TTP portal, your file goes through a dual-agency risk assessment. Both U.S. CBP and Canada's CBSA review your application against criminal information databases, immigration and customs databases, and other law enforcement records. Under Canadian law (Section 107 of the Customs Act and the Privacy Act), the CBSA shares information with U.S. CBP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Because two governments vet your file, CBP and the CBSA publish different processing estimates. Neither agency shows separate sub-statuses on your dashboard while your check is running. Your status stays pending until both countries finish their review and issue a single conditional approval or denial.

If manual review is required, CBP notes that processing times can vary significantly even between members of the same household who applied on the same day. CBP also notes that when partner-country processing takes an extended time, CBP cannot expedite the file or give individual resolution timelines.

Government NEXUS processing and status timeline across U.S. CBP and Canada's CBSA

Conditional approval and your deadline to schedule an interview

When both CBP and the CBSA finish your background check, you receive an email telling you to check your TTP account dashboard. Your status will show as Conditionally Approved, which makes you eligible to book your mandatory in-person enrollment interview.

Conditional approval does not let you use NEXUS lanes or TSA PreCheck yet. You must complete the interview first.

The CBSA has announced a major change to how long you have to schedule your interview after receiving conditional approval. On April 1, 2027, the temporary 5-year extension ends:

• If you are conditionally approved before April 1, 2027: You must schedule your interview within 5 years of your conditional approval date, or by April 1, 2029, whichever comes first.
• If you are conditionally approved on or after April 1, 2027: You must schedule your interview within 2 years of your conditional approval date.

How to schedule your NEXUS interview: 3 CBSA and CBP options

Every conditionally approved family member needs their own separate appointment slot. The CBSA outlines three ways to complete your NEXUS interview with both U.S. and Canadian officers:

• Option 1: Joint interview at a U.S. land enrollment center. You sign in to the TTP system, pick a U.S. land border enrollment center, and meet with both CBP and CBSA officers in a single visit.
• Option 2: Split interview at designated Canadian and U.S. land enrollment centers. You schedule the first part at a participating land center and complete the second part on the other side of the border on the exact same date (the second portion is scheduled automatically for the same day). The three open split-interview pairings are Lansdowne, Ontario / Alexandria Bay, New York, Fort Erie, Ontario (Peace Bridge) / Buffalo, New York (Peace Bridge), and Derby Line, Vermont / Stanstead, Quebec.
• Option 3: Two-step interview at participating Canadian and U.S. airports. You book your Canadian interview first (via the TTP scheduler, which redirects to the CBSA scheduler) at one of 8 Canadian airport enrollment centers: Halifax (YHZ), Winnipeg (YWG), Vancouver (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG), Montreal-Trudeau (YUL), Toronto Pearson (YYZ) or Ottawa (YOW). You then complete the U.S. portion without an appointment before your next flight to the U.S. at a Canadian airport U.S. preclearance location, or via Enrollment on Arrival at a participating U.S. airport. If you start a two-step interview at an airport, you cannot finish it at a land enrollment center.

What happens at the NEXUS interview and how to prepare

To understand the full process from start to finish, read our overview of what NEXUS is and our detailed guide to the NEXUS interview.

According to the CBSA, during your in-person interview the CBP and CBSA officers will:

• Verify your identity and review the original versions of your supporting documents (passports, citizenship proof, permanent resident cards, work or study permits, and proof of residency).
• Review the information on your online application to confirm it is still valid and accurate, including your 5-year address, employment and travel history.
• Confirm you meet all eligibility requirements for low-risk membership.
• Take your fingerprints and a facial photograph for your NEXUS card.
• Explain the terms and conditions of NEXUS, how to use your card by land, air and boat, and remind you that you are still subject to inspection any time you enter Canada or the United States.

After you are approved: receiving your card and updating your file

After your interview, check your TTP dashboard for status updates. Approved applicants typically receive their NEXUS card in the mail within 4 to 6 weeks, and membership is valid for 5 years. You can find your PASSID (which airlines call your Known Traveler Number for TSA PreCheck) on the top-left corner of the back of your card or on your TTP dashboard. Note that TSA PreCheck access through NEXUS applies to U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and Canadian citizens, but not Canadian permanent residents.

Once you are a member, you must keep your file current. You can update your mailing address, legal name, permanent resident card, naturalization certificate, work visa or study permit, and purpose of travel online in the TTP system (and then contact the CBSA so their system is updated too). However, you must visit an enrollment center in person to update a new passport, a change in citizenship documents, a residency change that affects eligibility, or any arrest, criminal charge, conviction, or customs or immigration violation. When your 5-year term is nearing its end, follow our NEXUS renewal guide.

Practice example

Has anything changed on your application since you applied, and why are you applying for NEXUS?

A strong, honest answer starts by stating whether any details on your Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) application have changed while your file was waiting for conditional approval. Because manual review can take 12 to 24 months, be ready to tell the CBP and CBSA officers right away if you moved to a new residential address, changed employers, renewed your passport, or obtained a new work or study permit, and hand over the original supporting documents that prove the update. Next, state your reason for joining NEXUS in one or two plain sentences, such as how often you cross the U.S.-Canada border and whether your trips are for tourism, visiting family, business, or school. Have all valid passports, your driver's license or utility bill showing your current address, and any required permanent resident card or work or study permit organized in your hand so the officers can verify your 5-year address, employment, and travel history without delay.

During the NEXUS interview, CBP and CBSA officers review the information on your online application to confirm it is still valid, verify your identity against your original supporting documents, and ensure you meet all low-risk eligibility requirements for membership.

Related guides

• NEXUS vs Global Entry
• what NEXUS is
• NEXUS interview
• NEXUS renewal guide
• NEXUS interview practice with AI

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.