Mobile passport control app

[Victoria]

I'm considering using this "Global Entry lite" (as I call it) for my return to the US after going to Scotland next month. Has anyone here used it, and if so would you recommend it? The customs line coming into Dulles in October was pretty hellish, so maybe this will help.

 

[Karen Frerichs]

I'd love to hear more about this... can you explain?

 

[Victoria]

Here are a couple of links:

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control
https://mobilepassport.us/

 

[Roz]

Yes, I used it for the first time last year. It worked fine for me, but somehow it didn't work properly for my husband. We were coming in to Logan (Boston), and I think it was pretty new there, so there may have been more officials than usual on hand to help. Anyway, someone did step in and help him and I think it saved us time, although actually the lines weren't all that long the day we came through.

 

[Karen Frerichs]

Thanks, Victoria and Roz... it sounds a lot like what happens coming to US from Vancouver, was automatic on my last 2 trips... will download the app for my trip to Italy this fall. But, yes, I sometimes see that the normal line isn't that bad... maybe everyone is using Global Entry thus reducing the regular lines!

 

[Victoria]

Thank you, Roz. That's pretty much what I have read elsewhere. Karen, as for Global Entry reducing the regular lines -- that certainly has not been the case at Dulles (Washington DC). Hardly anyone is ever at the GE kiosks!

 

[Joanne Hoefer]

I used it all the time, no problems zip in and out. using Bay Area Airports.
Not cheap, somewhat hassle to appear at approved airports, depends on how much international travel you do.
Works for me JMHO.

 

[Tery]

We just used the Mobile Passport app at DFW on our return home on June 10th (we flew Rome to DFW to LAX). I had both my husband's and my information loaded into the app (you also have to take a photo and upload it along with your passport info). Instead of the old immigration card they used to hand out on return flights, now you just answer the questions via the app as soon as you land, and then you receive a receipt (on your phone). When you get to Immigration, you just show the officer the receipt on your phone.

There was a separate line at Immigration / Customs in DFW for those with the Mobile Passport app. There were only like 4 people ahead of us when we got to the line and it went very quickly. Our total wait time was only about 2 minutes.

I'd considered getting Global Entry at one point, but we don't travel internationally often enough to make it really worth it. And now, with this Mobile Passport app I don't see any reason at all to apply for it. Th app is incredibly easy to use and it does allow you to bypass the regular long lines at Immigration / Customs.

 

[susan]

I also used the Mobile Passport app recently when returning from Italy. I flew through Newark. I stopped to use the bathroom before heading the the line so I can't say exactly how long the line would have been, but when I arrived at the Immigration area, I was able to walk right up to the special station dedicated to the Mobile Passport app without getting in any line. The only reason I had to wait at all was because he was helping someone from the next line over since no one was in his line.

You also use the same app when going through customs so don't turn it off yet. There were 2 guys there and one was showing the other guy how the Mobile Passport worked. No wait there either.

What I liked the best about the Mobile Passport app was that you do not have to list what you purchased during your trip. Make sure to complete the questions before heading to the Immigration/Customs area though as there are big signs everywhere saying no cell phone use (which could be confusing since you need to use your cell phone to use the app)!

Purchasing Global Entry would not have gotten me through the Immigration line any faster. Even if I did have to wait in a line, my luggage took a long time to appear so I would have just been waiting in a different area.

 

[jan]

Does anyone know about Nexus? It says it has all the benefits of Global Entry for only $50???
I tried using the Mobile App last year in Miami but their kiosk was "out of order".

 

[Andrew]

The big thing about Nexus is that it requires an interview at a land border with Canada or a Canadian airport. It takes longer to get preliminary approval because it needs to be approved by both the U.S. and Canada, but then it's supposed to give the same privileges as Global Entry when arriving by air in the U.S. Now that we live close to the border, we're getting Nexus, and it's taken a long time to get preliminary approval.

 

[SusanSeattle]

We have Nexus cards because we go to Canada to ski and mountain bike in Whistler, B.C. The border has separate Nexus lanes that are much faster to go through than general traffic. We got them about 7 years ago, and were able to get the interview appointments (even our kids had to have interviews in separate rooms from us) easily back then. When we had them renewed, it was harder to schedule the interviews. We ended up going to northern WA as it was much faster to get appointments there than in Seattle. We have global entry through the Nexus cards.