LAS VEGAS—U.S. Customs and Border Protection and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas today unveiled Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks. APC expedites the entry process for U.S. and Canadian citizens and eligible Visa Waiver Program travelers by allowing passengers to submit their customs declaration and biographic information electronically at self-service kiosks.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection remains committed to bringing innovation to the international arrivals process and Automated Passport Control is a great example of that,” said Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske. “These kiosks make the entry process more traveler friendly and have been proven to reduce wait times around the country as we welcome more travelers to the United States than ever before.”
APC is a free service, does not require pre-registration or membership, and maintains the highest levels of protection when it comes to the handling of personal data or information. APC kiosks allow for shorter processing times by removing the administrative task from the CBP officer. The kiosks are procured, deployed and maintained through partnerships with private sector entities.
“At McCarran International, we put a great emphasis on providing the best in customer service. We believe the presence of Automated Passport Control kiosks will benefit our customers by providing those eligible users with another option to help expedite their entry into Las Vegas,” said Clark County Director of Aviation Rosemary Vassiliadis. “We’re grateful for our strong partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and welcome this new service within our airport.”
Easy-to-follow instructions guide the traveler through the process which includes scanning your passport, taking a photograph using the kiosk, answering customs declaration and biographic questions, and fingerprinting for Visa Waiver Program travelers. Travelers will then receive a receipt confirming their information and proceed to a CBP officer to complete their entry into the United States. The whole process takes about one minute. Travelers opting to use the kiosks will no longer have to complete a paper customs declaration form.
There are more than 900 APC kiosks deployed at 34 airports worldwide. At some APC locations, CBP has seen wait time decreases of as much as 25-40 percent, despite continued increases in international arrivals.
CBP constantly strives to make travelers’ entry into the United States as fast, intuitive, and paperless as possible, and is working towards eliminating paper forms like the customs declaration form, expanding the number of foreign visitors that can use APC kiosks, and expanding Mobile Passport Control (MPC), the first authorized app to expedite a traveler’s entry into the United States, to a significant number of airports this year.
APC is part of a comprehensive strategy to optimize CBP’s current resources. CBP continues to explore automation, innovation, sustainable initiatives and trusted traveler programs to streamline the traveler inspection process. Last August, CBP rolled out MPC at Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and has since expanded it to travelers arriving at Miami International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. CBP has enrolled more than 3.5 million travelers in trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI. These programs allow CBP officers to process travelers safely and efficiently while enhancing security and reducing operational costs.