US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced Abu Dhabi as the latest Preclearance location to allow USA citizens and select non-USA travelers to use the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) mobile application to clear the CBP inspection process before boarding USA-bound flights.
The addition of Abu Dhabi makes MPC available at all 14 Preclearance airport locations under CBP’s international field office, including Aruba; Bermuda; Dublin and Shannon in Ireland; Nassau in the Bahamas; and Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg in Canada.
The MPC mobile app is available to US citizens, US lawful permanent residents, Canadian B1/B2 citizen visitors, and returning Visa Waiver Program travelers with an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form. The app allows travelers to submit their passport and travel information in advance at designated locations with a mobile device, resulting in less congestion and more efficient processing.
The MPC mobile app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. After downloading the app, users will be prompted to create a profile with their passport information any time prior to arriving in a CBP facility. Up to 12 profiles can be created for family members and a single household can submit a single MPC transaction. Upon arrival at participating USA or Preclearance locations, travelers can take a selfie for every member of the traveling group and submit their information to CBP through the MPC app without completing a paper form. Once travelers arrive in the CBP clearance area, they should look for the designated MPC queue, and then present their passports or USA Lawful Permanent Resident cards to the CBP officer for processing.
The MPC program was originally launched in August 2014 and is currently available at 51 locations, including 33 international airports in the USA, 14 Preclearance airport locations and four seaports of entry. In 2023, MPC was used by more than 1.8 million travelers.
In related news, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced a new partnership with Samsonite as part of the Donations Acceptance Program. Under this partnership, Samsonite will provide CBP with refurbished luggage to train CBP canines to search for and detect agricultural products and pests, narcotics, weapons and other contraband entering and leaving the United States. Click here to read the full story.