The CE and appliance industry in Australia is set to get express access to the USA with industry visitors to trade shows such as CES or CEDIA now able to apply for the US global entry program.

In the first phase of the deal, about 1000 Australians who have travelled to the US five or more times in the past 12 months will be granted entry into the USA as part of the global entry program.

When the second phase, which requires laws to be passed in parliament in Canberra, is approved industry executives will be able to apply for quick entry certification.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who was in Washington for meetings with her US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said the express entry would help cut costs for Australians doing business in the US.

The US Global Entry program set to begin early next year.

The program allows pre-approved, low-risk travellers to use automated kiosks to speed up their processing times upon landing in the US.

They’ll also get access to faster security screening for domestic flights.

American citizens can already use self-service “Smart Gates” at Australian airports, but a plan to open up Global Entry to Australians stalled after being first flagged in 2018.

“It’s good for Australian businesses, and it’s good for our friendship,” said Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who made the announcement in Washington DC.

“This program and our participation in it are a sign of our closeness and our trust.”

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Christine Ciccone and Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, signed a memorandum of understanding on the deal on Monday (Tuesday AEST) at the Australian embassy in Washington.

About 99 per cent of Precheck travellers wait less than 10 minutes – avoiding lengthy queues at many airports – and do not have to remove their shoes or take their laptops out of their bags for security screening.

“Joining the Global Entry program is a mark of the closeness and the strength of the relationship between our two countries,” Senator Wong said.