Mobile Passport is your best friend especially when you are traveling with kids. The beauty of this app is that you skip the long lines in customs when re-entering the country (not many people know of it) and that it is free! They have a dedicated line at Customs but you want to make sure that that your airport accepts it – it is rolling out to more airports but be on the safe side (See a list of airports below).
This is a great alternative to Global Entry if the international airports you use have the service. Not only is it a free service but if you are an infrequent traveler or a road warrior, you will not be disappointed to go to a VERY short mobile passport line. I am still shocked at how few people use this app. It saves so much time and hassle.
How it works – when you land you open up the app and fill out the information versus filling out one of the customs cards or the new self-service kiosks in use now. You will have to enter your child’s information on your app as they don’t go under their own. My advice is to set up the app on your phone in advance of your trip (available from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store) since you will need to scan your passport and have a picture uploaded. The good news is that all the information is saved on the app for future use.
Upon landing in the United States, travelers will complete the “New Trip” section by selecting their arrival airport and airline and answering a series of CBP inspection-related questions. Once the traveler submits their transaction through the app, you will receive an electronic receipt with an Encrypted Quick Response (QR) code. Travelers then bring their passport and mobile device with their digital bar-coded receipt to a CBP officer to finalize their inspection for entry into the United States.
WHERE CAN ELIGIBLE TRAVELERS USE MPC?
MPC is available to U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors at the following 25 U.S. international airports and 3 seaports 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)
William P. Hobby Houston International Airport (HOU)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Miami International Airport (MIA)
Miami Seaport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Palm Beach Seaport (PBI)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
Port Everglades (PEV)
Portland International Airport (PDX)
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)
