What to Bring to a NEXUS Interview: Originals Checklist

The short answer on what to bring to a NEXUS interview: originals of four things. They are (1) your conditional approval letter, or your PASSID plus the interview confirmation, (2) every valid passport you hold, (3) proof of citizenship or permanent residency, and (4) proof of your current address. Photocopies and documents shown on a phone screen are not accepted, so a missing original can end the interview before it starts.

That matters because a turned-away interview does not put you at the front of anything. You go back to the booking queue, and the $120 application fee is already spent.

The checklist: what to bring to a NEXUS interview

Proof of citizenship or status

CBSA accepts any one of these:

• A valid passport
• A birth certificate plus photo ID
• A Canadian citizenship certificate or card
• A Certificate of Indian Status
• A U.S. citizenship certificate
• A U.S. certificate of naturalization
• A U.S. border crossing card
• A Record of Landing or a valid permanent resident card

Mexican Viajero Confiable members bring a valid passport.

Proof of current address

Any one of these works:

• A driver's license. CBP accepts it only if the address on it is current.
• A provincial or federal ID card
• Any document showing your current address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, or mortgage or rental statement

CBP says minors do not need proof of residency.

Documents that depend on your situation

• Arrest or conviction, even if dismissed: bring the court disposition papers (LegalClarity, citing CBP).
• Name does not match across documents: bring the marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order that explains the change.
• Enrolling a vehicle: some guides add vehicle registration to the list. Ask before you go if this applies.

Children and teens

A parent or legal guardian has to attend. CBSA requires all custodial parents or guardians to be present, or a signed consent letter from any who are absent. CBP requires one custodial parent present. Each family member needs their own booked slot. The minor's fee is waived if a parent or guardian applies at the same time or is already a member.

Worked example: what one missing document costs

Worked example with assumed numbers. Open /nexus-wait-times and find a busy land center, for instance the Blaine NEXUS and FAST enrollment center or Detroit. The site has live wait-time pages for NEXUS centers, so you can see how far out the queue runs before you book. The date shown for each center is its next bookable date.

Say the next bookable date at your center is 14 weeks away. The figure is made up for this example, so check the live pages for the real picture.

1. You book that date, pay nothing more, and arrive. Your fee of $120 was paid when you applied.
2. Your driver's license shows an old address and you have no utility bill. The officer cannot complete the interview.
3. You rebook. The next bookable date is again about 14 weeks out.

Cost: roughly 14 more weeks without NEXUS and no refund, because the $120 fee is non-refundable. An earlier date could appear at your center, but nobody can promise that.

The fix takes five minutes the night before: lay out the originals from the table above and compare each one with the checklist.

Money and deadlines

• Fee: $120 USD for applications submitted on or after October 1, 2024, up from $50 (Federal Register). Renewals pay the same $120. The fee is paid at application and is non-refundable. A replacement card is $25. CBP's own fee page was last modified in May 2023 and may still show $50, so go by the Federal Register notice or CBSA.
• Interview window: CBSA's 2023 notice gives you up to 5 years after conditional approval to finish both interviews. A secondary source, Nomad Lawyer, reports a return to a 2-year window for approvals on or after April 1, 2027, with older approvals capped at April 1, 2029. Check the date against CBP and CBSA before you plan around it.
• If the window lapses: LegalClarity says the application is canceled and the $120 is not refunded.
• If you cannot make your slot: reschedule. Canceling at the "Interview Scheduled" stage can cancel the whole application.

What happens in the room

You are interviewed by both CBP and CBSA. Chase and older guides say to expect about 30 minutes. Fingerprints and a photo are taken, and an iris scan too, though iris scans are not available at every location. Membership lasts 5 years, and Chase, citing the Trusted Traveler Programs, says the card arrives in about 10 days. Approval is not guaranteed even after the interview.

If you have no near-term date: the two-step option

The 2023 CBSA release lists three formats:

• A joint U.S.-Canada interview at a U.S. land enrollment center
• A split interview, at a Canadian land center and then the matching U.S. center
• A two-step interview: CBSA at one of 8 Canadian airports (YHZ, YWG, YVR, YYC, YEG, YUL, YYZ, YOW), then CBP

For the CBP step, Enrollment on Arrival (EoA) is open to all conditionally approved NEXUS applicants at any participating U.S. airport or Preclearance location, whether or not the CBSA part is done. You walk in with the same documents: your passport or passports, proof of residency, and your PR card if it applies. At Preclearance it is first come, first served, so arrive early and stay within the published EoA hours (CBP recommends 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Toronto Pearson Terminal 1).

The 2023 release says both interviews must be done the same way, land or air. CBP's current EoA page is the one to follow, so read it before you pick a route.

Getting an earlier date

If your center's next bookable date is far off, you can watch for earlier ones. 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. You book the appointment yourself on ttp.dhs.gov. See the NEXUS page for details.