Use the Mobile Passport App to Drive Through Customs Without International Entry
Waiting in line at US Customs when you return to the US from an international flight can be excruciating. There is a good reason why people are putting in on programs like TSA Precheck and Global Entry to speed things up.
But if you’re planning to travel abroad and don’t have the Global Entry option, there is another completely free tool that you can use to quickly get out of line and get out of the airport – the Mobile Passport app .
On the way back from a recent Lifehacker trip to Costa Rica, our Senior Video Producer Joel wowed everyone by alerting us to the existence of this app that allows you to fill out customs information – the kind you usually wait in line at the airport for touchscreen data entry – in advance and thus go through customs in a separate, usually much shorter, queue. ( We’ve talked about Mobile Passport about Lifehacker in the past , but what can I say, we don’t always follow our own advice the first time.)
The process is simple. You scan your passport, take a photo of yourself, and answer a series of customs declaration questions. (This is in lieu of the traditional paper forms or touch-screen kiosks used at some airports, so you can count on answers to the same questions about what you are taking into the country.) On arrival, you submit your information via apps, receive a receipt From the customs and border service and find a separate line labeled “Mobile Passport Control”.
It should be noted that this option is not currently available at all US airports. On the Mobile Passport page in the iTunes Store , you can currently use the app at the following airports:
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
- Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International 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)
- George W. Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston (IAH)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Newark International Airport (EWR)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
- 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)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- William P. Hobby International Airport (HOU)
You can also use the Mobile Passport at multiple cruise ship ports if you are traveling by sea. (There is a paid version of the app for $ 14.99 a year that offers additional features, including a secure vault to digitally scan your passport as well as family members’ documents.)
As for the Lifehacker staff, when we returned to JFK (which is chronically understaffed and has a hell of a customs lineup) I headed to the Global Entry where there were no other people. (If you already have a Global Entry, there is no need to use Mobile Passport as you are already going to be sorted into a shorter string. Although, according to the Mobile Passport website, “It’s great to use both Trusted Traveler and the Mobile Passport app. “So you can take the shortest line and go through customs on your chosen program. Results may vary depending on the airport and time of day.” As for Joel, he went through customs through the mobile passport lane. or two behind me – without having to register and pay in advance for a special program.
The mobile passport proved to be indispensable for Beth ‘s connecting flight from Miami to Pittsburgh. “Our plane from Costa Rica was delayed on takeoff, so I used that time to install the app and answer questions,” she said. “When I got to passport control, I was able to walk past the large lines and kiosks and follow the signs that said Diplomats and Mobile Passports. There were only ten people in front of me. My flight was on the other side of the airport and I also had to go through security checks, so if I had been in this queue longer, I would not have been able to get there. “
In short: the Mobile Passport app is very good and we all deserve less time queuing at the airport.