How to Apply for NEXUS Pass: Steps, $120 Fee, Real Waits

To apply for a NEXUS pass, create a Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) account at ttp.cbp.dhs.gov using Login.gov, fill in the NEXUS application, and pay the $120 non-refundable fee. After conditional approval you complete one in-person interview with both US CBP and Canada's CBSA, and the 5-year card is mailed to you. This page on how to apply for nexus pass covers each step, the documents to bring, and the part most guides skip: the interview wait is usually the longest stretch of the whole process.

How to apply for NEXUS pass, step by step

1. Create a TTP account. Sign in with Login.gov (two-factor authentication required) and choose NEXUS. Paper forms are no longer accepted.
2. Fill in the application. Enter your name exactly as your passport reads, plus your address, travel history and a criminal history declaration. False or incomplete answers are a reason for refusal.
3. Pay $120. You can pay by credit card or bank transfer.
4. Wait for the background checks. CBP and CBSA both review you, including a 10-fingerprint law-enforcement check.
5. Watch your TTP dashboard for "conditionally approved." That message is your cue to book the interview.
6. Complete the interview. Your fingerprints and photo are taken there.
7. Receive and activate the card. It arrives by mail. Activate it in your TTP account using the PASSID on the back.

Both countries must approve you. Either one can refuse an applicant who is inadmissible to that country, gave false or incomplete information, has any criminal conviction, or has a customs, agriculture or immigration violation.

What NEXUS costs

The fee is $120 USD, non-refundable even if you are denied. It applies to new applications and renewals filed on or after October 1, 2024, up from $50 (Federal Register notice 2024-06852).

Some pages still show the old number. CBP's own how-to-apply and fee pages displayed $50 when we checked them on October 22, 2026, and at least one third-party guide does too. Go by the Federal Register and by the amount the TTP system charges you.

• Minors under 18: free if a parent or legal guardian applies at the same time or is already a NEXUS member. Otherwise the minor pays the full $120.
• Minor's interview: a parent or guardian must attend. CBSA wants all custodial parents there or a signed consent letter. CBP needs just one parent.
• Replacement card: $25.
• Renewal: a new application with another $120 fee.
• Card perks: some travel credit cards reimburse the TTP fee as a statement credit. Chase's Sapphire Reserve, with one credit every 4 years, is one example. Check your card's terms.

Who can apply

US and Canadian citizens and permanent residents can apply. Mexican nationals can join through the Viajero Confiable program. The membership lasts 5 years and also gets you Global Entry processing at US airports (see Global Entry availability for each center's next bookable date), NEXUS lanes at northern land borders, kiosks at Canadian Preclearance airports, and marine reporting. For how it compares with the other programs, see the program comparison.

Skip paid "NEXUS application" services. CBSA says you do not need a third party, it will not speed anything up, and it can lead to extra charges, delays or denial.

What to bring to the interview

• Your valid passport (bring every one you use if you hold more than one)
• Proof of residency, such as a current driver's license, mortgage statement, rental payment statement or utility bill (minors do not need this)
• Your permanent resident card, if you have one
• Any supporting documents your TTP dashboard asks for

How long NEXUS takes: the spread

CBSA says applications may be processed within 30 business days, which is about 6 weeks. That estimate leaves out interview scheduling, and CBSA notes a significant backlog for new applicants.

Third-party guides disagree widely on the total:

The gap between 3 months and 20 months is almost entirely the interview wait, and it depends on which center you pick. Compare the wait at each center on the live NEXUS interview wait times page. Cancellations never show up there, so an earlier slot can exist that the page does not list.

Two ways to do the interview

The interview has a CBP part and a CBSA part. You can do them together or separately:

• Joint interview at a land-border center. Both agencies see you in one visit at a northern-border enrollment center.
• Split interview. CBSA does the Canadian half at one of 8 Canadian airport centers: Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG), Halifax (YHZ), Montréal (YUL), Ottawa (YOW), Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR) and Winnipeg (YWG). Every conditionally approved applicant can then do the CBP half through Enrollment on Arrival (EoA) at any participating US airport or Preclearance location, in either order.

At Preclearance airports EoA is first come, first served, with no appointment. CBP recommends arriving within the published EoA hours. At YVR, for example, those are 9:30–10:30 a.m., 1–3 p.m. and 6–8 p.m. Details are on CBP's EoA page.

Worked example: split interview vs. joint interview

The numbers below are assumed figures that show the arithmetic. Replace the two interview-wait figures with the waits you see on /nexus-wait-times.

Assumed inputs:

• Conditional approval: 6 weeks (CBSA's 30-business-day estimate, which may run shorter or longer)
• Interview wait at a Canadian airport center: 5 weeks after conditional approval
• Interview wait at your nearest land-border center: 30 weeks after conditional approval
• Card mailing time: the same in both cases, so it is left out

Under these assumptions, Path A is 25 weeks faster. Two costs come with it. You have to be at a Canadian airport on your interview date, and you need a later flight into a participating US airport or Preclearance location for the CBP half. If you already fly to Canada, that cost is small. If you do not, a joint interview close to home may be worth the longer wait. Your own numbers decide it, and the two wait figures can change from week to week.

If the wait is too long

Waits change as people cancel and as centers add slots. Earlier slots can appear and disappear between your checks of the page. Nobody can promise you an appointment.

GlobalEntryTexts texts you when a NEXUS interview appointment opens at the enrollment centers you choose. It costs $25, paid once, for 30 days of monitoring, and it is not a subscription. You can watch up to 3 centers per 30-day window for the same price, and each purchase covers one program. You book the appointment yourself on ttp.dhs.gov, because GlobalEntryTexts never books for you. If no openings are found at your selected centers during the window, you can request a refund. Start from the NEXUS page.