Travelers entering the United States will soon have an expanded array of digital solutions to help smooth the border crossing experience. The updates will improve the travel experience for US citizens and foreign visitors alike, as more locations and types of travelers gain access to the speedier screening services.
Speaking at the Future Travel Experience Global conference in Long Beach, CA this week, Diane Sabatino, Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner of Field Operations for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) described the various changes coming down the pike.
Global Entry App coming soon
The Global Entry experience has shifted significantly in recent months, with newer kiosks rolling out across many airports. The new systems are touchless, using a photo of arriving travelers rather than finger prints as the identity key. Moving forward, CBP will also offer an app-based option for these arrivals. Passengers will be able to take a photo on their mobile device and have the identity verification completed before reaching the clearance checkpoint.
While the new kiosks are faster than the prior generation, Sabatino is confident that offloading some of the processing to user devices (and user schedules) will further improve flow at the border.
The app will support multiple travelers on a single device, though each will need their own photo. It will also support access for travelers under 14 to access the Global Entry lane with an authorized parent or guardian.
Mobile Passport Control gets foreigner-friendly
For the many more passengers who do not (or can not) have Global Entry, the Mobile Passport Control app similarly improves wait times at the border. And soon the app will support a significantly larger pool of travelers.
In addition to increasing the number of locations where MPC is accepted, CBP plans to enable access for arriving passengers who use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under the visa-waiver program. Those arriving visitors will still be required to see an officer for their first visit with an ESTA. Future visits, however, will be MPC eligible.
ESTA app app
Finally, CBP plans to roll out a mobile app for ESTA applications. This will capture the necessary photo and passport details via the camera and NFC chip in a mobile device as part of the application process.
Details on timing for these rollouts were not immediately available, but Sabatino suggested the agency is moving quickly on implementation.
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