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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsLocal governmentCBP Announces Deployment of Mobile Passport Control in P.R.

CBP Announces Deployment of Mobile Passport Control in P.R.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection checks arrivals at Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport.

The San Juan Field Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Tuesday the upcoming implementation of Mobile Passport Control (MPC) in Puerto Rico. U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors will now have the option of MPC processing, which expedites the entry to the United States from foreign countries by using a mobile application to submit a user’s passport and travel information to Customs and Border Protection.

U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors arriving at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport and San Juan Seaport locations will be able to expedite their international arrivals.

“The world we live in is changing fast. CBP recognizes this and continues to transform the traveler’s experience by offering innovative ways to expedite entry into the United States, while maintaining the highest standards of security,” said Roberto Vaquero, assistant director of field operations for border security.

People will be able to utilize the application upon arrival to selected locations, including Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport (SJU), San Juan Pan-American Dock and San Juan Seaport Pier 4. It will be available at SJU on Aug. 27 and at the mentioned seaport locations on Aug. 28.

Travelers from all venues frequently state that Mobile Passport could well be the best-kept secret in air travel. The application is user friendly and is available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Downloading and using the app is free, fast and easy; and it does not require any pre-approval. The whole process can be completed in just seconds.

Travelers who successfully use the app will no longer have to complete a paper form or use an APC kiosk. As a result, travelers will experience shorter wait times, less congestion and faster processing.

Once users download the application, they will be prompted to create a profile via the app with their passport information. Upon landing in the United States, travelers will complete the “New Trip” section by selecting their arrival airport and airline, taking a self-photo, and answering 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 passport and mobile device with their digital bar-coded receipt to a CBP officer to finalize their inspection for entry into the United States.

The CBP officer is then able to focus on identity verification, admissibility and questioning to determine purpose and intent of travel.

Mobile Passport Control is just one part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s resource optimization strategy, which is transforming the way CBP does business in land, air and sea environments. The program allows CBP officers to process travelers safely and efficiently while enhancing security and reducing operational costs.

MPC is currently accepted in 30 locations and it has over seven million members. To learn more about MPC and CBP Operations in Puerto Rico and the USVI, follow us on Twitter at @CBPCaribbean

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