Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are touting the benefits of a pair of options designed to aid summer travelers.
Officials said the Global Entry program and the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app could help travelers get home quicker.
CBP officials said the critically acclaimed Global Entry offering continues to swell in membership, as members have reported not having to wait in inspection lines upon returning to the United States has proven beneficial.
MPC is a free smartphone and tablet app that enables travelers to process their international arrivals before walking up to a CBP officer in the inspection station.
“Global Entry continues to be one of Customs and Border Protection’s most successful and popular programs and Mobile Passport Control allows CBP to leverage today’s innovative technology to streamline the international air traveler’s experience through the United States arrivals process,” said Casey Owen Durst, the
CBP’s director of Field Operations in Baltimore, said.
Global Entry is a voluntary program for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers, officials did, noting travelers can apply online at CBP’s Trusted Traveler application portal, pay a $100 application fee, which is good for five years of membership benefits, and complete a background investigation.
When conditionally approved, the applicant completes an in-person interview with a CBP officer at an enrollment center or through CBP’s Enrollment on Arrival initiative.
MPC is the first authorized smartphone or tablet app to expedite a traveler’s arrival into the United States, officials did, as eligible travelers create a profile with their passport information.
When they travel back to the United States, they complete the New Trip section and answer a series of CBP inspection-related questions on the app prior to arrival.
Travelers receive an Encrypted Quick Response (QR) code that they show to a CBP officer upon arrival.