There are few lines that can cause more despair in a traveler’s heart than landing at your home airport and being met with a snaking line to get through customs. That’s especially the case for those of us without Global Entry. But there’s a free app that doesn’t require any background checks that can make that line almost disappear: Mobile Passport Control.
Photo: asiandelightShutterstock
This Free App Gets You Through Customs Just as Fast as Global Entry Does
Mobile Passport Control (MPC) is run by Customs and Border Protection and is available to United States citizens and Canadian B1/B2 citizens visitors. All you need is a smartphone and an internet connection, and you can input all of your information through the app to bypass the standard customs line as well as the APC kiosks. Airports have designated lines for MPC users that, in my experience over the past couple of years using it in Denver and New York City, are almost always close to empty.
To use it, download the app ahead of time and create a profile with your photo, passport information, name, gender, date of birth, and country of citizenship. (Note that you’ll need to do this for each member in your family, up to 12 people.) Then, once you land, open the app and click the airport you’re at to answer the customs inspections questions. An encrypted QR code pops up and you bring that to the CBP officer and you’re done.
Compare that to Global Entry, which allows people to go through automatic kiosks at select airports after a diligent background check and in-person interview. Despite the many signs hanging up in airports, the MPC line seems to only be so short because there aren’t many people using it. And until people start to catch on, it’s a great tool to bypass that long customs line and make it home faster.
Where you can use the Mobile Passport Control app:
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson 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)
- Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
- Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- Houston William P. Hobby International Airport (HOU)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Miami Seaport
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Oakland International Airport (OAK)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Palm Beach Seaport
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
- Port Everglades Seaport
- Portland International Airport (PDX)
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
- San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- San Jose International Airport (SJC)
- San Juan Airport (SJU)
- San Juan Seaport
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
