NEXUS Interview Questions: What Officers Ask and How to Prep
The most common NEXUS interview questions are about where you plan to travel in the U.S. and Canada and why you want a NEXUS card. Two officers run the interview, one from CBP and one from CBSA, it takes about 30 minutes, and the exact questions vary by enrollment center.
The harder part is usually getting the slot. Below: what the officers ask, what to bring, the two-interview rule, and how to use the NEXUS wait times page to find an earlier interview.
NEXUS interview questions officers ask
Expect a conversation built on your application. Officers typically:
- Ask where you plan to travel in the U.S. and Canada, and how often.
- Ask why you want a NEXUS card.
- Ask about your travel patterns and reasons for applying.
- Confirm the details you submitted, such as your address, employment and travel history.
- Check your identity documents against the application.
Nobody publishes a fixed script. The list above gives the topics, and the exact wording varies by center and officer. The one rule worth planning around: your answers should match your application. NEXUS membership can be denied for false or incomplete information or a criminal conviction, among other reasons. Passing is not guaranteed.
What happens physically at the interview
- Fingerprints are taken at the interview.
- Iris scans are also collected. Not every enrollment location offers them, and you need an iris scan to use the card at an airport.
If you plan to use NEXUS kiosks at Canadian airports, check that your center offers iris scans before you book.
What to bring
The full originals checklist is on What to Bring to a NEXUS Interview. The core list:
- A valid passport. Bring every passport you hold if you have more than one.
- Originals of every document you submitted with the application.
- Proof of residency: a driver's license if the address is current, a mortgage statement, a rental payment statement, or a utility bill.
- Your permanent resident card, if you have one.
- For land crossings, FedLaws also lists a birth certificate, a driver's license, and vehicle registration and title.
Children and families
- Residency documents are not required for minors.
- Applicants under 18 must attend with a parent.
- Each child needs consent from both parents and original proof of identity, such as a birth certificate.
- Each family member needs their own appointment.
- A parent applying with a child should bring proof of custody or guardianship.
- A child's $120 fee is waived if a parent or guardian applies at the same time or already has an active membership.
Two interviews, one decision
NEXUS needs two interviews, one with CBP and one with CBSA. No decision is made until both are done.
- After conditional approval you have up to five years to complete both.
- Both must be in the same mode, land or air.
- They can happen on different days or at different airports.
- The Canadian portion can come before or after the CBP portion.
The fee is $120, non-refundable, paid before you submit, and membership lasts five years. Renewal also costs $120 and can begin up to 364 days before expiry. A new interview may be required for renewal. Members who renew before expiry and were not auto-renewed have their benefits extended for up to five years so they can schedule and finish interviews.
How long the wait really is
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Initial vetting | About 2 weeks |
| Manual review, if triggered | 12 to 24 months |
| Interview slot after conditional approval | Weeks, depending on center and demand |
| Whole process (as of May 2023) | Up to 12 to 14 months |
| Card arrives after interview | About 10 days by mail |
There is no way to speed up the full process. The one stage you can shorten is the interview slot, because centers differ.
How to get an earlier interview
Compare centers on the wait-times page
The NEXUS wait times page is the site's live wait-time page for NEXUS centers. Demand differs by center, so check more than one.
- Open /nexus-wait-times and compare the wait shown for each center.
- Weigh the best few against how far you are willing to drive. Border centers are often a long way from where you live.
- Pick the center with the earliest wait you can actually reach, then book on the Trusted Traveler Programs site, ttp.dhs.gov.
Enrollment on Arrival for the CBP portion
Conditionally approved NEXUS applicants can do the CBP interview on arrival at any participating U.S. airport or Preclearance location, with no appointment. This works even if the CBSA portion is not done yet.
- Enrollment on Arrival is offered at 69 airports.
- Follow the Enrollment on Arrival signs to CBP officers, who interview you during the admissibility inspection.
- Preclearance is first come, first served.
- Arriving outside the recommended hours can lengthen the wait, so leave extra time before a connecting flight.
- If an effective accommodation is not readily available at an arrival interview, it may be scheduled at an enrollment center later.
The Canadian portion at an airport
You can schedule the CBSA interview from your TTP dashboard at one of eight Canadian airport enrollment centers. CBSA reopened them in spring 2023, with interview dates from March 27 to April 24, 2023 at launch.
Remote interview pilot for renewals
CBP's pilot is a Zoom interview of about 15 minutes. You are eligible if:
- You are a conditionally approved renewal (first-time applicants are not eligible).
- You are 18 or older.
- Your photo on file was taken within the last 10 years and after you turned 14.
- Your fingerprints were previously submitted.
On the CBP page, last modified March 1, 2024, renewing Global Entry members were in the pilot and renewing NEXUS and SENTRI members were being phased in. Schedule through the TTP dashboard. The virtual waiting room opens 15 minutes early, and you should verify your email address first.
Prep checklist
- Reread your submitted application and make sure you can answer from it without guessing.
- Write down your travel plans for the next year: where, how often, and why.
- Gather the originals listed above, plus every passport you hold.
- Confirm your chosen center offers iris scans if you want airport use.
- For a child, get both parents' consent and the child's original birth certificate.
- Arrive early. The interview is about 30 minutes.
Text alerts for cancellations
If the waits on /nexus-wait-times are months out, a cancellation is the other way to get in sooner. GlobalEntryTexts texts you when a Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI 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 enrollment centers in that window. Each purchase covers one program, so pick NEXUS. See NEXUS alerts for details.
Nothing here guarantees you an appointment. You book it yourself on ttp.dhs.gov, because GlobalEntryTexts never books for you. If no openings are found at your selected centers during the monitoring window, you can request a refund.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Two officers conduct the interview, one from CBP and one from CBSA, regardless of your citizenship. You must complete both interviews before a decision is made.
Yes. Membership may be denied for false or incomplete information or a criminal conviction, among other reasons. Answering consistently with your application is the best preparation.
For the CBP portion, conditionally approved applicants can use Enrollment on Arrival at participating U.S. airports with no appointment. The CBSA portion is separate and can be scheduled at one of eight Canadian airport enrollment centers.
The card takes about 10 days to arrive by mail once both interviews are complete and you are approved.
Yes. Renewal costs $120 and can begin up to 364 days before expiry. A new interview may be required.