Mobile passport app can save you time
Have you recently deplaned from an international flight at bustling Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and been stuck in the immigration and customs line while some people got pulled out and waved through?
Yes, some were Global Entry folks (low-risk travelers who pay a fee), but many others had downloaded the free Mobile Passport Control app, which expedited their time in the customs and immigration hall. With the busy summer travel season almost here, more folks might want to consider downloading the app.
The Mobile Passport Control is limited to U.S. Citizens and Canadian visitors and is the first app authorized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for eligible travelers with a smartphone or tablet to submit their passport information and answer CBP inspection-related questions prior to CBP inspection. No pre-approval is required, according to the CBP.
The CBP says there are five steps for eligible travelers to use the Mobile Passport Control app:
■ Download the Mobile Passport Control App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
■ Create a profile with your passport information (name, gen- der, date of birth, and country of citizenship)
■ Complete the “New Trip” section upon arrival in the United States by selecting arrival airport and airline, taking a self-photo, and answering a series of CBP inspection-related questions
■ Submit your CBP Declaration form through the app to receive an electronic receipt with an Encrypted Quick Response (QR) code.
■ Bring your passport and smartphone or tablet with your digital bar-coded receipt to a CBP officer to finalize inspection for entry into the U.S.
The Mobile Passport Control pilot launched in August 2014 for eligible travelers arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Interna- MPC is available to U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors at the following airports and one sea port of entry:
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
William P. Hobby Houston International Airport (HOU)
Miami International Airport (MIA) tional Airport and is now available at 24 international airports and one sea port of entry in the U.S.
In a March news release, Casey Owen Durst, CBP director of field operations in Baltimore, said “Mobile Passport Control allows CBP to leverage today’s innovative technology to streamline the
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Raleigh-Durham
International Airport (RDU)
Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
San Diego International Airport (SAN)
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
San Jose International
Airport (SJC)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Port Everglades (PEV) international air traveler’s experience through the United States arrivals process.”
The app has been downloaded more than 1 million times since its formal launch two years ago, the release said.