Mobile Passport Control, A Little Known Travel Time Saver

A number of years ago, my husband and I were flying to London and arrived at Heathrow Airport around the same time there was a shift change of agents at the UK border control. To say that the wait getting through customs was painfully long would be a huge understatement. Fortunately today, entering the US after an international flight can be much quicker and efficient with programs like Global Entry. But Global Entry costs $100 per person to apply and requires a little effort to go through the process, making it a hurdle for those who travel internationally infrequently or for families with several children to cover. Enter Mobile Passport Control (MPC) – not a new program but one that isn’t well known by many travelers. MPC is available at certain international airports and when it is, the line is often much quicker than the regular customs line. Watch this short video on how MPC works.

MPC is a FREE customs service run by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. To get started, download the MPC Mobile Passport Control app on your mobile phone from your app store. Once the app is installed, you can save the required information for you and your family (same household address). The next time you travel internationally and are making your entry back into the US (after you’ve landed at the airport), you open the MPC app, select the “New Submission” button and follow the instructions to make your declarations to get through customs. Using the MPC app replaces the need to fill out the paper declaration form you receive on the airplane – your entry information is transferred electronically through the app. It’s important that you submit your information through the app once you have landed at the airport. There’s a 4 hour window from the time you submit your information that you have to go through customs.

Here’s why using MPC will be worth it to you, because the program isn’t well known, the lines for travelers using MPC can be much shorter than the regular customs lines. There are specific lanes for services like MPC and Global Entry, so you avoid the regular customs lane. MPC service is available at 51 locations which includes 33 international airports in the US. You can find the list of available MPC sites on the MPC app.

If you are a frequent international traveler and can justify paying the $100 fee, than Global Entry may be your best bet for getting through customs. Signing up for Global Entry automatically gets you TSA Precheck privileges too. On the other hand, if your international travel is infrequent or you have a number of family members traveling with you, then the free benefits of MPC might be a better option… Do something to cut down your wait at customs!

You can find more information on MPC here.