WASHINGTON, USA — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Wednesday that beginning February 1, the Mobile Passport Control application (MPC) will be the only authorized app for entry into the United States.
Travelers who currently use other applications such as Airside Mobile or Clear MPC for international travel should download the CBP MPC application prior to February 1 in order to avoid a service interruption. The CBP MPC app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Users will be prompted to create a profile with their passport information, name, gender, date of birth, and country of citizenship. Upon landing in the United States, travelers will select their arrival airport or seaport and terminal, take a self-photo, and answer a series of CBP inspection-related questions. Once the traveler submits their transaction through the app, the traveler will receive an electronic receipt with an encrypted Quick Response (QR) code. Travelers then bring their physical passport and mobile device with their digital QR-coded receipt to a CBP officer to finalize their inspection for entry into the United States.
The MPC app is part of CBP’s efforts to introduce new technologies and expand on current ones in order to create a more secure, straightforward, and best-in-class traveler experience. The MPC app allows travelers to submit their passport and travel information using a mobile device and will enable them to store their information so it will be readily available for future international travel. This results in less congestion and more efficient processing.
The MPC program was originally launched in August 2014 and has been used by more than 4.3 million travelers at 34 ports of entry, including 30 airports and four seaports. The new MPC app was created to better safeguard travelers’ privacy. It was piloted at Dulles International Airport in May 2021 and is now available nationally.