A new mobile phone app created by U.S. Customs and Border Protection lets international travelers skip passport control and walk directly to baggage claim.
"Before it was going over there and standing in line, and — as you can see — it's probably a 20-minute wait,” said Jerry Richards, an app user from Dothan, Alabama who was connecting through Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Tuesday and standing in the arrivals hall.
“Right there is basically no wait. It makes it a lot easier," he added.
Richards was pointing to a new line in the arrivals hall which is labeled Mobile Passport Control. Customs and Border Protection just opened it on February 10.
Using the CBP’s free Mobile Passport app (available for Android and iOS devices) there's no longer a need for someone to check a paper passport or scan it into an automated kiosk.
"You know there's that fear that we're potentially giving away some level of security. But we found a way to do what we already do more securely, and allow the traveler to take on that administrative portion of the process,” explained Cleatus P. Hunt Jr., CBP Area Port Director for Dallas-Fort Worth.
Three years ago, during sequestration, travelers reported nightmares at DFW and other major airports as they waited for hours to get their passports stamped.
Months later, DFW installed automated passport control kiosks to help alleviate wait times.
Today, DFW has 51 kiosks and will expand to 75 later this summer, CBP said. They have clearly cut down on the long lines returning to the U.S.
Here's how it works:
- download Mobile Passport from the app store
- scan your passport
- take a selfie
- fill out the details of where you've been (just as the old paper form requested)
After entering that information, the app gives you a QR code which you show to the attendant who directs travelers downstairs to collect their luggage.
"It just eliminates what we call the administrative portion of your inspection. The enforcement portion is still going to be conducted by an officer that you will see before you leave the facility," Hunt added, saying the app frees up officers to focus more on security.
In the first week, DFW averaged 45 travelers a day using the app, CBP reported. Last week, it doubled to 93 travelers a day taking advantage of the time-saver.
DFW is the sixth airport to let travelers access Mobile Passport. The program began in Atlanta and is now also used in Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Seattle.
