U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a proposal to enhance international air travel security for commercial flight travelers to and from the United States.
The published Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) addresses the expansion of existing advance data requirements via commercial air carrier participation in the Document Validation (DocVal) Program. Through DocVal, the CBP system automatically checks carrier-submitted passenger manifest data to ensure data is accurate and the traveler’s document is valid for travel before responding directly to the carrier for boarding pass processing.
According to CBP, DocVal is deployed voluntarily, providing the airline industry with additional efficiencies by validating traveler documents during check-in and enabling travelers to provide complete and correct information in real time.
The DocVal NPRM published in the Federal Register is open to public comments for 60 days. Individuals seeking to comment on the proposed rule should access the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for submitting comments.
CBP has determined the proposed guidance would enable the agency to identify threats earlier in the process and further inhibit travelers with invalid documents from being issued a boarding pass.