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When flying from Canada, US and Canadian citizens can use a NEXUS card alone to enter the US, i.e. without even bringing a passport.

However, Timatic, the database used by airlines, says:

Nationals of Canada and USA with a NEXUS Card embarking in Canada in a non-USCBP pre-cleared flight must clear US immigration via the normal inspection lines. The use of Global Entry kiosk is not possible.

What about Automated passport control (APC) kiosks? At most airports, that's usually the "standard" for US/Canadian citizens and signposted as such. Is it possible for Americans/Canadians to use that with only a NEXUS card?

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  • Is there a reason you wouldn't just use your passport at a GlobalEntry kiosk? You should be able, and I believe Timatic is wrong. NEXUS members receive GE benefits. (I've used this at DEN and ORD, and my wife at LAS, when flying from YQR, which does not have US preclearance facilities.)
    – Jim MacKenzie
    Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 2:15
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    The Q assumes the passenger doesn't even bring a passport. And what Timatic means to say is that Canadians only having a NEXUS Card can only use GE at preclearance airports.
    – Crazydre
    Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 2:30
  • Understood. I'm not sure why a passenger would do this, but as I've not tried, I can't comment. I suggest taking your passport with you.
    – Jim MacKenzie
    Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 2:31
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    Why does Timatic or the airline even care what procedure such passengers use once they've landed? The only question they should be concerned with is whether the passenger can clear immigration at all.
    – phoog
    Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 2:44
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    @MichaelHampton Or to more clearly and explicitly debunk the widespread misconception that a passport is still required to enter the US from Canada if not using preclearance. I've asked the station manager of Swissport at YQB, and he wasn't aware of the changes, and when I told them it's clearly in TIMATIC as well as the CBP website, it was like talking to the wall (despite the convo being in French)
    – Crazydre
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 15:07

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Let’s parse this a bit as I think there are two important qualifiers:

Nationals of Canada and USA with a NEXUS Card embarking in Canada in a non-USCBP pre-cleared flight must clear US immigration via the normal inspection lines. The use of Global Entry kiosk is not possible.

  1. I’m assuming from this bit that the passenger is thought to only have a nexus card and not a passport.

Nationals of Canada and USA with a NEXUS Card embarking in Canada in a non-USCBP pre-cleared flight must clear US immigration via the normal inspection lines. The use of Global Entry kiosk is not possible.

  1. This bit means you’re doing USA immigration in the USA (along with flights from other countries) where there are only Global Entry kiosks and human immigration agents; rather than pre-clearing in Canada where there would also be a NEXUS kiosk that you could use.

My conclusion is this: Your usage of the Global Entry kiosks in the USA is tied to your passport or green card. That is, you have to put your passport or green card into the GE kiosk and not your GE card (and certainly not your NEXUS card).

Timatic is trying to warn you that if you travel with just your Nexus card and no passport from Canada to the USA in a non-pre-cleared flight, you won’t be able to use a global entry kiosk as it doesn’t read nexus cards or even global entry cards (only passports and green cards).

APC kiosks are "Automated PASSPORT Kiosks" and only take passports although some but not all take green cards.

tldr: You’ll have to get in line and show your nexus card to a physical agent.

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  • POint 1 and 2 are correct, and everything you just described, I already know and can confirm is correct. However, the question is whether APC kiosks can be used with only a NEXUS card
    – Crazydre
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 18:53

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