Mobile Passport Control

Mobile Passport Control is an official app from US Customs and Border Protection that speeds up the inspection process when entering the United States. You complete your travel information, answer the CBP inspection questions, and take a photograph of yourself and of each person travelling with you. The app produces a receipt, and you follow the instructions on it to reach the appropriate inspection line. Several points are important enough to state plainly. It does not replace your passport, which you must still carry and present. It works only at supported entry locations, so it is worth checking whether your arrival airport is on the list before relying on it. It is voluntary, and it is open to US citizens, certain Canadian citizen visitors, lawful permanent residents and returning Visa Waiver Program travellers. Anyone outside those categories uses the standard process. The benefit is time. Completing the questions on your phone during the walk from the aircraft means the inspection itself is shorter, and the dedicated line is usually much faster than the general queue. It is free, requires no membership fee and needs no advance enrolment, which distinguishes it from Global Entry. For occasional travellers who do not fly often enough to justify a trusted traveller programme, this is the practical alternative.