When our government actually does something really good, I never understand why it is being kept such a secret!
With many of you going abroad in the next couple of months, I wanted to make sure you didn’t leave town without this travel agent’s 101 advice: the mobile passport has been turned on again at most airports. This means that when you return to the United States from your international trip, look out for it!
Passport Control Mobile App for Customs Border Protection is the official name, but to make the long name much shorter, look for the abbreviation MPC in your phone’s Apple and Google Play Store. Designed to avoid long lines at customs and get you away quickly on your next flight, the MPC is a free government program found at most US international airports and cruise ports, all you have to do is look for the immigration line with the fewest passengers, and I bet you’ll find it.
This newly renamed app is now managed by CBP, but it works just like the pre-run special app, and it’s really easy to use. Simply download the MPB app, open it once you’re in the US and have a Wi-Fi connection, and follow the instructions.
I may suggest creating a profile before leaving the US for each traveler. One of the great things about this government owned app is that it allows you to keep this profile information without paying more for it. Your profile consists of some very basic personal information and your passport data. As your plane travels to your international destination, open the app, answer some easy questions, such as choosing an arrival airport or temporary sea port and typical questions related to immigration screening, take a selfie, and hit submit. Within seconds, an electronic QR or QR code receipt will appear on your phone to let you know that you are OK.
Once at the immigration station, look for the Mobile Passport line, show your physical passport and the QR-coded receipt in your phone to a CBP MOBILE APP employee, and your entry into the United States is official. That’s it, folks, and yes, you can thank me for that kind information by calling the Monroe Travel Service the next time you plan to leave the country—whether to Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, or Asia.
Mobile Passport access lines are at the following international gateway airports: DFW, Houston, Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, and Washington Dulles. Unfortunately, Atlanta is the only central city that travelers often use in our area and not yet offer this service.
The Global Entry program, which costs $100 for a five-year membership, is still probably your best bet for getting through customs in Atlanta faster, however, because Mobile Passport is free and doesn’t require you to apply or wait about 120 days to receive Global Entry approval, I think that CBP MPB is the smart way to go. To be honest, the only complaint I’ve heard from any of the Monroe Travel Service travelers, who frequently use the app, has to do with the signage; It is not always consistent in design and decor from one airport to another. This often makes it difficult to determine the MPB service line.
Allow me to share a quick travel story about why I think the app is worth a download. Customers returning from a fantastic cruise on the Rhine were communicating home through Washington Dulles Airport two weeks ago when their captain at United Airlines announced how weather delays had created two to three hour wait times in the immigration hall. In fact, the hall was so full that the shuttle bus from the plane waited an additional 25 minutes on the runway before being delivered to the station. Needless to say, they were very worried about losing their home connection with Monroe.
Fortunately, these customers listened to me. They used the MPB app, and joined with another person the Mobile Passport line at the immigration hall. Customs completed in less than 5 minutes! do not hesitate. Download it now, let’s be honest. After spending several hours in a silver tube in the air, standing in long dedicated lines is not the “welcome home” experience any of us would want.
If there is an app for that – and a better way to work – why not give it a try?
Dianne Newcomer is a travel agent at MONROE TRAVEL SERVICE. For your cruise, tour or resort vacation, please call 318323 3465 or email us at [email protected]